


The Revolutionaries

by Rose_in_crayons, Spiicy



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Character Death, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Minor Character Death, Near Death Experiences, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-05-17 14:56:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 29,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14834432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rose_in_crayons/pseuds/Rose_in_crayons, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spiicy/pseuds/Spiicy
Summary: In a world made uncertain due to the corrupting nature of the maniacal ‘King’ George III, the Revolutionaries, an agency of powerful superheroes, must make an all-out stand. What happens when Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from Nevis, stumbles right into the middle of it all- will he choose the right side? A Hamilton AU.





	1. P R O L O G U E

**We were all villains in the beginning.**

For hundreds of years, prodigies were feared by common man. Because of that fear, we were hunted. Tormented. Mocked and oppressed. We were believed to be witches and demons, freaks and abominations. We were stoned and hung and set afire while crowds gathered to watch with cruel eyes, proud to be ridding the world of one more pariah.

They were right to be afraid.

_Hundreds of years._

Who would have stood for it?

‘King’ George Frederick changed everything. Tired of being worn and degraded, the already-influential Brit united the most fearsome prodigies he could find and amassed them into an army. His following cared little for the loss of innocent lives, or mass destruction, or even what would come next once the old world crumbled. They cared only for change, so change they got.

He started with the infrastructure. Government buildings torn from their foundations. Banks and stock exchanges turned to rubble and ash. Bridges ripped from the sky. Entire freeways reduced to rocky wastelands. When the military sent fighter jets, he plucked them from the sky like moths. When they sent tanks and submarines, the King crushed them like aluminum cans.

Then he went after the people who had failed him- failed all of them. Those fancy bureaucrats who bought their way to power and influence, who cheated in vain and viewed things selfishly could have all been dead, and in a matter of a few weeks.

Entire governments would have been gone. Law enforcement, disbanded. Chaos undoubtedly would have ensued, leaving every man, woman, and child to fend for themselves. The same scar would have been left on the world as the one pressured upon many superhumans across centuries of time.

Then hope came. And hope called themselves the Revolutionaries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! I hope you enjoy this fanfic! Feel free to leave constructive criticism or any thoughts you might have at your leisure, and thank you for reading!


	2. O N E

It wasn’t even eleven in the morning, and Alex had already had a _hell_ of a day. 

The immigrant had just arrived at the JFK airport, been searched excessively like he was some sort of suspected criminal, and had been sent several dirty looks from passersby as he’d gone to retrieve what little baggage he owned.

 _So much for American hospitality,_ he thought bitterly, his suitcase wheels squeaking in protest as he stepped out into the light drizzle that was stereotypical of New York City. Luckily, rain didn’t bother him- too much. There were just a few certain reasons- personal reasons- why he tried to avoid it.

Shrugging his threadbare coat a little tighter over his shoulders to keep out the chill, he continued on, hoping he could find some crappy apartment to hold up in where the rent would be cheap, and hopefully soon, so he could get out of this damn rain. 

Like many immigrants, he’d come to America- New York, more specifically- to make a better life, a better future for himself, but also to try and keep a distance from thoughts of his past as much as possible. 

He couldn’t exactly help it. It followed him around like a darkened cloud, just waiting for the right moment to make some sort of resurgence with a lightning strike or an ominous clap of thunder. He kept that part of himself closed off, in a box sealed shut and pushed back to the furthest corner of his mind. 

He didn’t dwell on these thoughts, these… emotions he kept pent up very often. It was dangerous to let them emerge, and yet… the surmounting pressure only grew more strenuous every time after he did, as if something inside him was fighting to get out, to be freed. 

He pondered this as he weaved between the city-goers, between the street vendors and the young children and the men in crisp business suits walking briskly to and from work. The contemplations of his mind traveled down darker and darker paths as he trudged on-

_And there it was._

That feeling again. Like he was a volcano, a storm, like something powerful and dangerous was stirring deep within him, something entirely unknown. He was somehow both scared and intrigued by it at the same time, a secret part of him wondering what would happen if he were to just let go- 

His head snapped up, his thoughts dissipating when he heard wailing in the streets, plaintive and high-pitched. He had to stifle a groan when he realized it was a child, a young boy with his father, crying about something dumb or other that children cry about. But that wasn’t what really caught his attention. 

What really startled him was when the father lashed out and slapped the young boy. 

Alex had to resist from reeling back like he had been the one struck, placing one hand on his cheek right where the father might have hit him. 

Shock turned to another emotion, this one deeper, more raw, more… threatening. 

Rage. 

Rage because his father used to do the very same thing to him when he was younger, before he had left them, before his horrible excuse of a father left him, his mother, and his brother to die on that godforsaken island- the memories played in a frenzied, omnipresent stream in his head, his blood rushing so loudly in his ears he could barely hear himself think-

And then-

_And then-_

He let go. 

Electricity crackled white-hot and furious, encircling him, making his hair stand on end, his eyes glowing with the intensity of a thousand suns, the sky above him swirling an ominous black as the drizzle from before picked up into a torrent, a flood- and all everyone else could do was watch in shock and horror, mouths agape, few having the sense to take cover. 

It was unbelievable, like a dream… or a nightmare. 

Thunder shook entire buildings with bursts like atomic bombs, raindrops came down from the sky so fast and hard it felt like artillery fire against the skin- then an enormous, neon-green lightning bolt descended from the heavens, so fast if you blinked you would have missed it, striking the top of the Empire State Building. The power surge from the impact made the skyscrapers nearest to it tremble down into their very foundations. 

And suddenly, as quickly as it had begun...

It was over. 

The throng of people down below, drenched, wide-eyed, and shaking, could only stare at the now-unconscious man on the sidewalk, his chest rising and falling with each erratic breath he took. They were entirely struck dumb. Should they help him? Leave? If they aided him, he could be dangerous. If they abandoned him there, he could freeze to death. 

Before anyone could even begin to make a decision, however, a girl in a yellow jacket rushed forward, her curly hair flying wildly behind her as she ran and draped the man over her shoulder, throwing down some sort of smoke bomb. When it cleared after a few more disquieting, urgent moments, there was no trace of either of them. 

Needless to say, none of the other civilians dared to move for quite a while.

|-

The curly-haired girl leaned Alex back against a wall in a dimly-lit alleyway, trying to wait patiently for him to come to as she tapped her fingers rhythmically against the brick and mortar, humming to herself. She looked very casual about it, as if she’d seen and done all of this before. 

After at least a couple more minutes, she got bored of the wait and shook Alex rather violently by the shoulders, hoping to speed up the process. It worked, but not before he was scared out of his wits. “Huh- AHHH! WHAT THE F-”

“SHHH!” The girl hissed, clamping a hand over his mouth before he could finish the rest of his profane exclamation. “Unless you want to die, I suggest you shut up.” 

Alex took a couple of deep breaths, doing as she said. After all, he had no idea who this girl was, and despite the fact that she was so small, she was kind of terrifying. “Can you at least tell me what just happened? Or who you are?” He whispered, making sure to keep his voice low in case she felt like fulfilling her earlier threat to end his life. 

The girl merely sent him a mischievous grin. “I don’t think you’re in the position to be asking questions, sir, but I promise you’ll get answers in due time. For now-” she produced a gleaming silver badge from her back pocket. “Peggy Schuyler, RSA. I’m taking you in.”


	3. T W O

There were a million things Alex wanted to do, but being taken in, semi-against his will, was certainly not one of them. 

It was just his luck, really, considering it happened right after he almost blew up New York City. No doubt the incident had already aired over some news corporation. He was still stuck in the moment, mind whizzing a thousand miles per hour, wondering how he had let his guard down in the first place.

Oh, and over the fact that he now belonged to the minority populace of the world that possessed superhuman abilities. That was also a surprising factor.

Regardless, here he was, hastily being moved along by this ‘Peggy Schuyler’, handcuffs pinning his arms behind his back and a blindfold over his eyes. Originally, Alexander had protested against the bondage, only for Peggy to wave him off with an upturned smile, dismissing it as mere protocol. Alex suspected that she was doing it for her own amusement and nothing more, but he wasn't exactly in the situation to call her out on it. 

At least it didn’t seem like he had to worry too much about paying for a crappy apartment in the Bronx anymore.

He regrettably continued to be brought along to god knows where, and not at a comfortable pace either as he tripped and stumbled on occasion over a stray piece of debris. “Watch it!” he hissed, once his abductor rather carelessly tugged him around a corner and seemingly into a building, considering Alex felt a change in atmosphere, likely because last time he checked, it didn’t rain in buildings.

Even after Alex had unleashed his power and faded into unconsciousness, the common drizzle didn’t die down, almost leaving him with the slightest idea that he himself had not caused the sudden storm. That tidbit almost gave him a sense of hope, that he wasn’t the strange and outcasted individual that so many had made him out to be. 

But then again, he remembered the rage that had been so deeply rooted inside him right before he had quite possibly ignited the storm, and newly surmising his abilities also gave him an odd sense of comfort. Knowing he now potentially possessed the power to defend himself, that he was no longer helpless and at the mercy of the cruelty of Mother Nature and the humans she birthed… was _invigorating._

At the very least, he wasn’t the same little boy, filled with fear, stuck on an island in the middle of the Caribbean anymore, even if that fear was replaced with resentment.

“Look alive, man. Even wearing that blindfold, you still look depressed and angsty,” Peggy quipped, prying him from his thoughts. Alexander had to stop himself from rolling his eyes under the blindfold, though he went without verbal response.

“Yeah, well-” Peggy continued in the wake of Alex’s silence, “-you’ll at least want to look respectable, when making your acquaintance with the General.” 

_The General?_ Alexander’s mind rapidly scanned through his memories, knowing for certain that the name- or alias- was awfully familiar. A couple more strides, a couple more thoughts, and everything seemed to be finally clicking in place. The badge Peggy had flashed earlier when he first came to, the RSA, the fact he had been captured right after his inner strength manifested… _I’ve gotten tangled up with that Superhero Agency!_

This minorly annoyed Alexander, honestly, considering that being dragged into something such as this was the last experience he was seeking when he had come to New York for a new life. 

And of course he knew about the agency, anyone who had eyes or ears knew. Originally, like several international espionage agencies, they had tried to stay lowkey and away from the public, but when they had stood up to the King, pressing back and managing to retake portions of the world, it was rather difficult to avoid the public eye.

Not that Alexander cared much for them, anyways. _The Revolutionaries will aid you!_ So many people claimed, but where had they been when his family was struggling and starving? Where had they been when their island was purged with a hurricane? If they _had_ helped, it had been a really sucky effort.

He was plopped down on a surprisingly comfortable chair, and at last he was freed from his temporary blindness as Peggy ripped the blindfold away. It took Alex a minute for his eyes to adjust from the darkness to a moderate lighting, straining to observe.

He first saw Peggy standing in the corner, hair frizzed up even more from when he’d first seen her, no doubt from the prolonged exposure to the rain. The office he’d ended up in wasn’t stark white like what might be so stereotypical in the movies; it was a rather traditional office with a polished wood desk, a globe perched atop it. Books filled the expansive shelves along the wall behind him, and the New York skyline was visible from large windows on the wall opposite of the door they must’ve entered from. On the wall behind the desk was a large R, simple in style but depicted in a cherry red in contrast to the rest of the mellow office.

“Pretty nice for an office, huh?” Peggy spoke up again, probably to break the silence that settled over the pair on occasion. While there was no extreme trepidation between the two, they didn’t have the most comfortable chemistry, for now, at least.

Alexander nodded slowly, his eyes taking another trip around the room, just in case he missed any deadly weapons that could incinerate him on the spot. “Yeah… it’s certainly comfortable.” To be honest, he hadn’t ever seen a nicer office in his life. 

Before either person could say anything else, an older man strode into the room, his upright posture looming well over Alexander and Peggy as he came to stand behind the desk. If there was any chance of the two younger people present igniting another conversation, it dissipated at once in respect and intimidation provoked by this man’s presence. Alex couldn’t find the right adjectives to describe this man, physical or not, except that he exuded an incredibly commanding presence. Though there was sternness, there was also a sense of care there.

“Thank you, Margarita, for handling the situation well. You may be excused,” the man spoke, who Alex surmised to be the General, as of Peggy’s former mention of the name. Peggy opened her mouth, before closing it without a word. She gave a small salute, before turning and taking an absence from the office a few moments later.

Alexander also decided it would be better to remain silent for the moment, or at least let the General speak first. Patience and permission to speak was not something Alex sought after often, so he was rather surprised at himself, but today had been full of unexpecteds. 

The General hadn’t taken a seat yet, watching Alexander for a moment with indifferent interest, before running his hand across the globe. A few moments later, his gaze rose to study Alex once more. “What’s your name, son?”

“Alexan-” Alex took a moment to breathe, raising his eyes to meet the General’s. “My name is Alexander Hamilton, and I’m not your son. Why am I here?” So it began again. Whenever Alex opened his mouth, he couldn’t seem to stop. “You have no right to keep me here! I didn’t do anything wrong-”

“-Except almost blow up an entire city?” Now the General sat, completely dismissing Alexander’s strong tone and the comment about being addressed as ‘son’. “We have all the same rights as the Federal Government, to inform you. Though I suspect you already have some knowledge of what our organization has accomplished, even though you are an immigrant, to our understanding.”

“What the fu-” Alex took another breath. “How did you know about me being an immigrant?”

“No native New Yorker dresses like that. And we have eyes around the city and beyond. When someone ignites their ability, we tend to take special interest in them. And it’s not often someone acts so rawly either. You put on quite the show for us, Mr. Hamilton,” and from the General there was a wry smile.

Alexander shrugged, “Thank you, sir-”

“You may address me as Washington.”

“Alright, _Washington._ Glad I could seem to be of comical service to you and your organization. For such an idolized group of people, it doesn’t seem as... dynamic as I suspected.” in reality, he had no idea what he was expected. Of course people had their speculations on the inside of how the Revolutionaries operated, and Alex was one of the few outside people who really got to see. 

An unknown expression crossed Washington’s face for a moment, on which Alexander could not analyze nor depict. Whatever it was though, it wasn’t hostile, at least. Maybe, for some far-fetched reason, the General was actually taking a liking to Alex. “No, I could imagine that the media portrays us in many ways.”

Alexander wanted to ask a slew of questions, being hit with one of those inspiring moments of curiosity, about the ‘war’ with the King, among other things, but another male quickly entered the office, without asking.

“Uh, sorry, Mr. General, sir,” the man excused himself, looking a tad bit flustered, cheeks flushing red, stiffening with a rather exaggerated salute.

Washington gave a small wave, leaning back in his chair and clasping his hands in front of him. “At ease, Laurens. What’s the status?”

“I just wanted to inform you that one of the squadrons was sent out, and reports say that they’ve just completed in wiping the memories of the citizens witnessing Mr. Hamilton’s outburst.” This man- Laurens- let out a long exhale, his hair similarly frizzy to Peggy’s, it being pulled back into a ponytail. “So it was a success. Should I… go now?”

“No, you came at a good time. Mr. Hamilton here seems to be struggling to grasp at his current situation. Considering that it would be in everyone’s best interest to keep him on our premises for now, it might prove beneficial for him to see around some of the more casual places of the building,” Washington said smoothly, and Alex knew that he probably wasn’t leaving anytime soon. “So how about you give him a tour?”

“Sure,” Laurens turned his focus to Alex, and a bright smile grew over his face. “Your name’s Alexander, right? Call me John. And a brief tour will be fun. There’s a lot of people around who might like to meet you.”


	4. T H R E E

Even though they had only known each other for a short period of time, Alexander decided that he could likely grow to find friendship in this John. He was a bit much- sunny and possibly exorbitantly optimistic- but it was well received. He reminded Alex of a Labrador puppy, and Alexander had always been a dog person.

They had hardly made it out of Washington’s office, and John had pretty much already given him a rundown of their location in New York and about the building itself. 

Essentially, the Revolutionaries had taken over the one World Trade Center tower, as when the King first started his attacks, he had targeted many of the bureaucrats whom had worked there, which prompted them to move locations, opening up the building to the international headquarters Revolutionaries. Apparently it had also regained status as the tallest building in the world, as the King’s Army- who Alex just found out were also christened as Loyalists- had set their eyes on the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and unceremoniously knocked it over.

Not that Alexander needed to know any of this stuff, but he enjoyed the info nevertheless. After his rather chaotic morning, he welcomed the casual conversation about the height of buildings and whatnot. He figured that all the technical information would come sooner than later- if he decided to stay.

“So, where is everybody? I haven’t seen anyone yet,” Alexander prompted after a few more minutes of walking down a corridor branching off from Washington’s office.

John looked around for a moment, then shrugged. “Oh, they’re around, trust me. Just not on this level, since this is where Washington’s office is, as well as a rather large meeting room. Nobody really feels the need for meetings very often, so, honestly, it’s not used. Uh, if you wanna meet some people, we can go down to another floor, where the council members often do ‘office’ work and stuff.”

Alexander nodded, deciding that nothing could be any worse or better at the moment, and they soon came across one of the many elevators in the building. “So, what are the council members? Honestly, just tell me anything about anyone that you can,” he said, just as John pushed the button outside the elevator, the doors opening not but a few seconds later, allowing them to board.

“Well,” John began as the elevator doors slid shut, “The Revolutionaries aren’t a totalitarian group of people, and The General’s certainly not a dictator or monarch. The council is just a group of people Washington picked out to help make decisions and manage a few other things.”

“That’s pretty lit. Are you on the council? Washington seems to trust you fair amounts, if he’s willing to let me go with you,” Alexander observed, a soft jingle playing in the background as the elevator continued down just a bit longer.

John shook his head, “No, actually. He does trust me, but he can’t have everyone he trusts on the council, even if I might help sometimes. Uh, there’s four people on it currently. They’re kinda known to the public, a lot of us are, actually, but I don’t think you’d be asking if you knew. Let’s see… there’s Angelica Schuyler, Theodosia Bartow-de Visme, Charles Lee, and Lafayette. He’s a French immigrant and he’s got a _hell_ of a name, so please don’t make me say all of it.”

Alexander snorted, not really sure why he’d make John say someone’s entire name, but went along with it anyway. “I won’t, don’t worry. Are they social? Is anybody really social in this place? I mean, obviously you are, but I just want to ensure that my visit here- however long it’ll be- won’t be filled with just a bunch of people staring at me.”

“Oh, yeah, definitely. There’s a lot of us here in New York, and even more at our international bases, but we’re all pretty tight-knit and social. I’m sure you’ll be integrated quite well in no time. Angelica’s pretty loud- you might hear her off somewhere with her sisters or Theo- and then of course me and Lafayette and these other two guys… eh, you’ll figure it out later. But nobody really likes Lee- don’t tell him I said that. I think even Washington’s starting to regret putting any trust in him.”

Now the elevator came to another stop, and the doors opened to reveal a rather large room, just as warm and nicely furnished as Washington’s office was. Stepping outside of the elevator, a rather tall man with a surprisingly slender build came over, and if it weren’t for the ponytail he was wearing, this man probably would’ve had an unruly afro.

“Laurens, mon ami!” this man greeted, who Hamilton figured to be Lafayette by the thick French accent in his voice. “And you brought a friend! Who’s this?”

Laurens smiled upon seeing the man. “Hey, Laf. This is Alexander, I’m showing him around the place. Washington’s orders.” 

“Alexander Hamilton? Are you the man who almost blew up downtown Manhattan?” Lafayette’s eyebrow arched, but fortunately he didn’t come across as disappointed or anything, which Alex was kind of grateful for. 

After a moment Lafayette nodded. “Ah! Well, don’t worry. Nobody here judges you for any of that; I am certain we have all been through something like it. Now Charles Lee- that man refuses to shut up and has been on my case for over an hour. He’s- how do you Americans say- a brat. To put it gently.”

Alexander had to hide a laugh at that. After all, he didn’t even know this Charles Lee guy, not that that had ever stopped him from formulating a premature opinion about someone before. “From what I’ve heard, it seems like not very many people like him.” 

Lafayette snorted. “Oh, please, do not even get me started on that- that _connard_. First of all-” from there he immediately spiraled off into a long rant about how much he strongly disliked him, which seemed to amuse both Alex and John. 

Truth be told, even though he’d only met the two agents just a little while ago, Alex felt more at ease with them than he had anywhere else in a long time, and he didn’t really know why. There was just something reassuring about their presences. Long gone had any time of peace and prosperity, war had conquered that, and somehow, though they were in the middle of it, Lafayette and John remained with a composed sense of optimism and resilience. 

“So,” Laurens started again after Lafayette had finished his spiel about Charles- who at this point- sounded like a terrible person to Alex, “Is Hercules around? Or even Burr? Thought we might take Alex around and get him to meet as many people as possible. Well, besides Lee of course.”

“Non, Hercules went off to help erase the memories of the civilians near Alex’s incident. He wasn’t actually supposed to go, but he went anyway. I stayed back to ‘cover for him’. And Burr? Burr’s the worst,” Lafayette said with a small snort. “But I have no idea where he is.”

“Oh, well, they’ll come around sooner or later,” John figured with a wave, “For now we can just chill out here and talk for a bit. Who doesn’t love a good conversation, while you can have one. Do you got any questions, Alex?”

In the time later on when Alexander became more acquainted John and Lafayette, they would come to figure out that he had endless amounts of questions and endless words to say, but for now he was just curious about the two people in front of him. Perhaps there was the potential of a friendship here, and Alexander was curious. It wasn’t ever often he was able to experience this.

“Eh, I figure that I’ll come to learn everything technical soon enough. What are your guys’ powers, if you don't mind me asking? Along with other people’s?” To be completely honest, Alex didn’t even know if he was going to stay forever when Washington gave him clearance to leave. He’d always been someone of the mindset where ‘I work alone’ had always been the ideal option. It had kept his priorities straight.

“I can control concentrated amounts of the sun’s energy and light,” John said, going over to lounge on one of the chairs, the trio still being in the open-spaced room right outside of the elevator. He held up his hands, the palms facing each other, and in the space between grew a ball of light, glowing steadily and giving off a slight heat. “See? Kinda like this. I’m one of the younger ones here and one of the newest to the organization out of our group, so it’s not top-notch yet. I’m working on it, though.”

“Woah, that’s actually pretty cool! So many uses for that, practical and theatrical, I can imagine as you practice, you’d be really good at fighting,” Alexander said sincerely, almost excitedly as he internally began to process and analyze John’s ability. “So neat. What about you, Lafayette?” 

Alex looked over to where the Frenchman last was, to see if he would put on a small display of his abilities just like Laurens, but he was nowhere in sight. “Huh. Invisibility?” he questioned.

“Close,” there was a tap on Alexander’s shoulder, causing him to turn around, catching a brief glimpse of Lafayette before he disappeared again, but this time he quickly reappeared, sitting next to Laurens this time. “Teleportation.”

“That’s pretty snazzy,” Hamilton gushed, looking Lafayette up and down, thinking about his power and the same way he did John’s. “Can you just like, teleport all the way to like France or somewhere right now, if you wanted to?”

The Frenchman made a small face and shook his head, “No, unfortunately. I’m still working on expanding my teleportation range. I can teleport short to medium range distance, but I don’t really get tired or have an...endurance limit, I believe that’s how you say.”

“Yeah, pretty cool, huh?” John asked with the smallest bob of his head. “There’s this one guy- his alias is the Phantom, I kind of forget his real name- who can manipulate shadows and shadow travel. He can do longer range distances, like country-distance leaps, but he can only do it every once and a while, unlike Laffy taffy here. It’s all good stuff. So many people in our agency alone, and I don’t think any of them have the exact same abilities. It’s all rather fascinating, really.”

Alexander nodded slowly, hanging on to every word as the two superheroes beside him talked. Honestly, he felt like he’d underestimated the agency when he’d first been brought in by Peggy not too long ago, and maybe even before that too. He didn’t know what he wanted to do regarding joining it yet- after all, they all seemed so… so… _professional_ \- and he didn’t know how he’d ever even begin to catch up or fit in with all of them. 

Before he could allow himself to ponder this anymore, an alarm suddenly blared throughout the entire building, loud and cacophonous and urgent in its tone, startling him out of his thoughts. 

“Ah, crap,” John sighed, getting to his feet. “I guess something must be happening concerning the Loyalists. Time to suit up, Laf,” he added, nodding to the Frenchman, who ran off down the hallway. 

John then turned to Alex, who looked to be drowning in the number of questions he wanted to ask. “I promise I’ll tell you everything when I get back, okay? It’s nothing serious, that’s the specific alarm for my squadron alone. If it were serious, we wouldn’t be the first choice to go out and fight. It’s probably some sort of mild disturbance or something.” 

He turned to run down the hallway after Laf, glancing back at Alex one last time as if to say _I’ll be back,_ before turning and sprinting down the hallway. 

Everything happened so fast- even Alex, for all his worldly wisdom, didn’t comprehend what was going on for a couple more minutes. Somewhere, mixed in with all of his other questions, he couldn’t help but worry for the agents, even though he surmised that they knew what they were doing. 

And the strangest feeling of all, mixed in with all his ponderings and worries and anxiety- was the unstoppable, insatiable urge to be out there with them, to be part of the mission with them, to fight with them, to share triumph with them- and it was unlike anything he’d experienced before. 

He’d never been so confused by this itch, this deep desire. After all, he’d known Peggy, Washington, John, and Lafayette for all of less than an hour, and yet he already felt such a strong connection to them, like they could eventually become his friends- even family. He hadn’t had a family to call his own in so long; he’d basically forgotten what it felt like. 

He felt as if something deep within him had changed- for the better or worse, he couldn’t tell yet. But he did know one thing- if being part of an organization destined to go into conflict with one of the greatest evils of their time was what it took to become part of the narrative, to create his legacy from the ground-up, to plant the seeds in the beginnings of a garden he’d most likely never get to see, to turn the world upside-down on its axis- then, damn it, he was going to do it. 

He, Alexander Hamilton, was going to be a superhero.

|-

The agent walked down the hall, her heels clicking on the solid linoleum floor, coolly adjusting her jacket over her shoulders. You wouldn’t be able to tell if you looked at her, but she was nervous, heart pounding wildly in her chest as she maneuvered through the hallway, eventually stepping into an office. 

This one was very much unlike the office the General had in America. Instead of stately bookshelves lining the walls, there were ornate middle-age and renaissance paintings with depictions of well-known battle scenes throughout history, most of them incredibly violent and bloody. It was almost as if the person who’d designed the office was trying to send a certain message to all who entered- and a threatening one, at that. 

“Ah, Maria, dear one!” A chipper voice called, and the agent had to resist turning around and running as the “King” addressed her, turning his swivel chair around to face her, the height of the desk he was seated behind making it appear like he was looming over her. “I was wondering when you’d be joining me.” 

The agent- Maria- forced a smile, putting on a confident and composed air as she addressed him. “My apologies, your Highness. I just wanted to inform you that everything is in order. The operation will be under way as soon as you give the word.” 

“King” George gave a dark chuckle, his hands clasped together contemplatively, and it was at times like this that Maria knew that what everyone said was true- the leader of the Loyalists was absolutely insane. “Oh, those filthy _Revolutionaries_ in America won’t know what hit them. It’s going to be _marvelous_.” 

He stepped down from his desk to meet Maria’s level of height a little better, although the scrawny, stick-like, but still absolutely terrifying man still towered over her. She swallowed harshly as he thoughtfully, callously cupped her cheek to make her meet his eyes. She dared not pull away. “Would you say you are ready for this mission, my dear?” 

It was all Maria could do to bob her head in reply, thankfully being able to shake his hand away in the process. “Yes, sir.” 

The feared leader of the Loyalists only smiled wickedly, seeming pleased with her answer. “Excellent. Go, then. _Do not disappoint me._ ”


	5. F O U R

Four figures made their way hastily through the streets of New York, practically invisible to the idle citizen’s eye as they crept around corners, through side streets, and over dumpsters. 

Although they were focused on the here and now, and remaining unseen, their minds were diverted elsewhere- more specifically, toward the objective of their “mission” (so far, it really didn’t seem serious enough to be addressed as such)- but no one knew what exactly awaited them when they arrived. 

It was the vaguest distress signal they’d ever received- hell, it wasn’t really even a distress signal. Someone had filed a complaint concerning “suspicious activity” around this area, so of course, they just had to investigate. 

John wasn’t having it. 

Something was off. 

It was very equivocal in sense, so indistinct of a feeling that John was almost tempted to brush it off. It was perfectly normal to feel this solid twinge of skepticality when going on a mission, right? But still, there was a sense of an instinct, buried deep in his gut that he couldn’t just simply ignore, even if he wanted to.

“Okay, so, I’m not the only one who’s suspicious here, right?” He huffed softly as they darted down yet another dingy alleyway to avoid arousing the attention of the public. 

Lafayette glanced over at him, shaking his head and looking rather bewildered. “Non.” 

Hercules, who had met up with them after returning from his excursion with the memory-wipers from earlier, blinked. “I haven’t really noticed anything… but trust your instinct, y’know?”

John nodded slowly. “Yeah. It’s just… something seems off about this whole situation. First, we get some sketchy phone call saying there’s some sort of shady activity going on in this area,” he mused as they ran past various stores and bars and tattoo parlors lining the side street, “and then they don’t even specify what it is! It’s almost like this whole thing is a set up, or a-“ 

“-Trap!” Aaron suddenly hissed. 

They’d turned the corner into one of the grimier back alleys, and it seemed the call had indeed been a ruse. Now, they were surrounded by a sea of red- dozens upon dozens of Redcoats, the King’s foot soldiers, to be exact. The gap where the four superheroes had so foolishly run into the alley was quickly closed, and now they had no way out. 

“ _Shit,_ ” John muttered. “Get back-to-back,” he instructed, and the agents quickly followed his word, hearts pounding due to the sudden rush of adrenaline. “Request backup when you can, there’s no way we can take all these guys out on our own. Keep your guard up, take ‘em out one by one-“

Aaron rolled his eyes. “We get it, you’re inspirational. Let’s _go!_ ” 

John swore he heard Lafayette mutter, “you are the worst, Burr,” right before they were thrown into the brawl, and he would have laughed if it weren’t for the circumstances. Instead, he delivered a swift, decisive punch to the Redcoat nearest him, and chaos quickly descended over the small backstreet. 

Tight spaces seemed to work well for Lafayette, at the very least. The Frenchman moved efficiently between the Redcoats, momentarily ceasing to exist only to appear behind his target and rapidly take them out. 

Aaron seemed to be having a little more trouble, several icy blasts he sent his targeted opponent’s way being redirected or avoided. At the very least, he was keeping his opposers out of arm's reach. “Damn it! Somebody call for backup!’ It didn’t take very long for the realization to come upon them that though they _were_ competent, backup was sorely needed. 

John, who was fighting back-to-back with Aaron, was unfortunately having a bit of struggle on his side. He hadn’t truly been fully integrated with the capacity of his abilities, his beams of energy dazing the redcoats at most. Far from being able to kill somebody, making him a fresh target. “Herc!” he called out, hoping to reiterate Aaron’s call for backup to someone who might be in a better position.

The well-muscled Irish-man was holding his own, his large stature and indomitable strength keeping the swarm of enemies at a distance away, but they still kept coming. Even with all the brawn in the world, there was still an unrivaled advantage in numbers, and that advantage did not currently belong to the squadron of four. 

Hercules seized a brief moment so graciously granted to him, practically shouting into the comm, “Revo headquarters, lock onto our coordinates! Backup is immediately requested, we’ve been ambushed, it was all a trap, the-” he couldn’t say more, the comm have been ripped out of his hands by an adversary, though a swift punch to the redcoat’s face pushed him back. 

The sounds of battle would have cut off anything else Herc said afterward anyway, and all they could do was hold off and pray backup would come soon.

The redcoats were rapidly closing in and at uncomfortable pace, on the entire squadron, It was impossible to see what was going on. You really couldn’t see anywhere beyond five feet ahead of you, vision getting lost in the sea of red. The four were hanging on by a thread, and they couldn’t hold off the adversaries forever.

“ _Fuck!_ John got stabbed!” 

It took a moment to decipher Aaron’s voice from the clamor of the battle, but soon panic set in. They were now down to three, and for Lafayette and Hercules it was impossible to see where the other two were, so they didn’t know how badly injured John was, or how overwhelmed Aaron was getting between protecting Laurens and fighting off redcoats at the same time. 

At this moment was essentially when the panic fully set in.

Where was the backup? The squadron on hand were likely the girls, and although they were efficient, they hadn’t prepared for the possibility of backup in the past right before the mission. The Revolutionaries were trained to be on top of things and be prepared to rush to aid whenever, but something could always go wrong. Something was going wrong right now, so it was very unclear what the outcome of this ambush would be, or even if any of the Revolutionaries would live to see it. 

All of a sudden, a figure clad entirely in a darker red than the Redcoats leapt down from the rooftops, sending a quick, decisive kick to one of the stomachs of the King’s soldiers, knocking him out against the alley wall. She moved with a deadly, fierce, almost hypnotizing grace as she slipped between the soldiers like a fish through water, her smaller size and faster speed aiding her in her rapid strikes. 

“Who in the hell is that?!” Lafayette asked incredulously, managing to keep his attackers at bay as he watched the mysterious figure quickly cut them down one by one. Whoever she was, she definitely knew how to fight. 

The three agents of the RSA who remained standing fought with renewed vigor upon seeing this. For the moment, they didn’t care who this lady was- only that she appeared to be on their side. They’d deal with the technicalities or figuring out who she was later. 

Now they just had to hope that backup would get here in time to save them before they were entirely exhausted or overwhelmed. 

That really did seem like a possibility at the moment. Although all four people in the squadron had been given some form of training and preparation for how to deal with exhaustion in the midst of combat, if they weren’t careful they’d soon be dropping like flies. 

Lafayette looked exhausted, a sheen of sweat beading on his forehead, Aaron was nearly lost in the sea of red uniforms, and even Hercules, for all his super-strength, couldn’t keep the Loyalist agents at bay. John was still nowhere to be seen or heard, and all three- in the back of their minds, at least- wondered if he was even still breathing. Even the mystery woman who’d jumped into the fight seemed to be tiring- there was no way someone could be so fast for that long and not become tired. 

Just when it seemed like all hope was lost, a beam of bright white light shot from the sky, reducing one of the Redcoats’ agents to a pile of ashes on the ground. 

Lafayette let out a whoop of relief as Angelica soared over the tops of the buildings, her enormous wings folding in as she plummeted toward the ground in a spiral dive, stopping just short of the concrete by reopening them like a parachute. “I came as soon as I heard!” She hollered, just before she, too, was thrown into the fray. 

Two other girls followed a bit after Angelica, red in the face and panting from no doubtedly sprinting all the way from the headquarters. “We had to run all the way here!” Eliza shouted, before following her sister into the fray, shooting out fire from her palms towards any Redcoat in arms length, their uniforms curling and scorching as they were seared with the smoldering heat.

“We really need to find better methods of transportation,” the third girl, Theodosia, figured inwardly before she too joined in the fight, several bits of shrapnel from broken bottles and bent metal that littered the alleyway being lifted into the air as if they had minds of their own, impaling several of the Redcoats in Theo’s general area. 

Fortunately the three girls, although tired from running here as quickly as possible and not to their fullest strength as a result of that, rejuvenated the original people standing, as well as mystery girl, whoever she was. 

“Where’s John?! And who’s that?!” Eliza managed to shout above the cacophony, glancing toward their unknown ally. 

“To answer both of your questions, we don’t know!” Aaron called back, freezing one of the Redcoat’s heads just before he could be stabbed by its saber and meet his untimely doom. 

Eliza looked panicked by this new development, but she fought even harder because of it, the fire emanating from her palms blazing and burning everything around her as the battle raged on. 

The three original ones standing were at this point rather worn down and tired, sagging in posture with their blows gradually getting weaker. Even with the backup, it was difficult to keep back this swarm of redcoats, even if their numbers were diminishing slowly.

At least Angelica was hyped about the fight and certainly had enough energy for all of them, whooping with glee as she swooped overhead, shooting power beams down at the sea of red. Always leave it to the eldest of the Schuylers to be quite the fighting enthusiast. The Revolutionaries fighting on the ground were attempting to look for John, but fatigue made it difficult. Even the cloaked mystery figure was greatly tiring, who had come in with such unexpected speed and force. 

Lafayette let out a small groan as a Redcoat delivered a swift punch to his nose, and a crunch could be heard as the fist made impact. He rubbed his nose, feeling a bit of blood, but teleported between and away from the Loyalist regardless. He glanced over to Hercules, who now bore quite the black eye, but still was holding up the best out of the original four. 

"Eliza!" Theodosia yelled out as loud as she could from one of the alleyway sides, hoping that the pyrokinetic-healer would be able to hear her. An old baseball bat was swinging around above her head to keep the redcoats away for as long as possible, crouching over a figure crumpled on the ground. “John's over here- he's alive! But he's not looking too good!"

Eliza fought off a Redcoat who had taken her by surprise and shoved her violently against the alleyway brick wall. Her head throbbed as she turned toward the sound of Theodosia’s voice, her eyes widening in shock as she took in the sight of John collapsed on the ground. He was deathly pale, his dark freckles greatly contrasting with the rest of his skin, which now closely resembled the whiteness of paper. His breathing was shallow, and blood rushed from his side, pumping vividly red onto the pavement. He’d already lost so much blood- how much more could he stand to lose?

She rushed to John’s side, trying to get better access to the wound. Without hesitation or even a grimace, she covered the deep laceration with her bare hands, a pulsing golden light radiating from her palms. Though she knew it was dangerous in such a heated fight, she closed her eyes to better concentrate on healing John’s gaping injury. 

Then, the strangest thing of all happened. 

Just when it seemed that there was no hope left for the enervated Revolutionaries… the Loyalists suddenly came to a standstill. The fighting stopped. Aaron might as well have been using his power to stop time, because absolutely no one was moving. 

“Let this be a message from our King,” one of them uttered, spitting disdainfully at the feet of the American agents. Then, without warning, the Redcoats made their escape, turning to run behind buildings or get into cars, or go back the direction from whence they’d come otherwise. 

There was nothing any of them could do to stop it. 

Lafayette swore fluently in a solid string of French, pulling out a handkerchief to stop the flow of blood from his badly broken nose. 

Hercules went to help Aaron bandage his arm, which dripped blood from a gash on his arm, mixing with John’s on the pavement. 

Theodosia tried to hide the limp in her step as she rushed over to assist Angelica, who, in the midst of the fight, had swooped down to take a better shot, only to have the tip of her wing meet the business end of a saber. 

Eliza tried to focus on closing up John’s wound instead of the hammer-like pounding in her head. 

All the while, the mysterious stranger remained, sinking to the ground, just sitting there, trying to catch her breath and hiding the urge to wince as her bruises touched the cold concrete. 

The silence in the air hung heavily, as did the Revolutionaries’ hearts. It truly had been a humiliating outcome. All of that, just to send a message? Why were they not killed on the spot instead? It just didn’t make sense. Hell, none of what just happened had really made sense. 

A hushed silence fell over them as they all glanced at each other, beaten and battered, hardly able to make eye contact. Their gazes shifted to John and Eliza, a certain sense of sameness darkening their expressions, a sense of helplessness filling their hearts.

The Revolutionaries were not perfect. They were not all-powerful, they were not omniscient, they were not invincible.

That was a difficult thing to accept, when the world expected so much victory. They had won this battle, in a sense, considering that everyone still had breath in their body when it was over, even if it was fleeting and unstable.

But they had not prevailed. 

Everyone turned their attention to Eliza and John when the superhero let out a shuddering breath, then burst into a fit of coughing, his eyes fluttering open feebly. 

“Hey, shh, shh,” Eliza murmured softly, attempting to soothe him, hoping it would stop his coughing. “John, you have to stay still, or you’ll rupture your wound again. I managed to heal most of it, but either way, you’re going to need stitches.”

It was all John could do to let out a soft groan, his eyes filled with pain as he looked up at Eliza. Eliza bit her lip, looking over at Hercules. “One of you needs to take him back to the emergency unit. He’s lost a lot of blood, he’s going to need a transfusion.” Hercules nodded grimly, picking up John’s limp form as gently as he could before sprinting off in the other direction, back toward headquarters. 

Eliza and the remaining agents then turned to face the mystery girl, who had risen gingerly from the ground. “And who are you? What are you doing here? We’re going to have to bring you back for questioning as well.” 

The girl held her hands up in surrender. “Hey, easy. I don’t want any trouble. I’ll gladly come with you for questioning. I just saw that your friends were having a little trouble and wanted to help.” She removed the hood of her cloak, a nervous smile on her face. 

“The name’s Maria Lewis. Pleasure to meet you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clear up any confusion anyone might have, Maria Lewis is the same person as Maria Reynolds. I decided to use her maiden name, seeing as she is not married to James Reynolds in this story. Thanks for bearing with me!


	6. F I V E

“One caramel macchiato coming up!”

Sally Hemings handed the customer their coffee, sighing softly as she went to help the next person in line. For her, it seemed the grind never stopped these days (pun intended). Not to mention it hadn’t stopped drizzling all day, leaving a rather gloomy feeling hanging in the air. 

She glanced around the small café, wondering where on earth her roommates had gotten off to. They were supposed to come and keep her company on the last part of her shift, but they were nowhere in sight. She supposed they could be busy with something or other, but it was a little disheartening that they hadn’t shown up thus far. 

“ _Have you read this?!_ ”

Sally’s disappointment didn’t last much longer, considering that a certain duo rather haphazardly burst into the café, a paper clutched in the hand of the taller one of the pair. The disruption disgruntled a few customers, but honestly, two college-aged students abruptly entering a coffee shop in the middle of New York City wasn’t the most disturbing thing to witness.

She let out a short chuckle as both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison disappointedly took in the fairly long line of people- tourists and locals alike- waiting to order their coffee. They skirted around, not cutting in line, of course, but going to the small bar-area in which consumers could pick up their coffee when it was finished.

“‘Bout time you two showed up. And, no, I haven’t read this, or whatever it is you were talking about,” Sally clarified, in between brewing mochas and capping frappuccinos with a practiced ease. “But my shift is almost over. Go try and snag a table or something, and in a few minutes I’ll join you. You guys look really excited to share whatever it is you have on that paper.”

“We are,” Thomas said earnestly, passing it over to James. “I mean, it’s not too big of a deal, in terms of impacting the three of us, at least, but you might find it of some interest.”

James nodded, “Yeah, what he said. But we’ll try to go and find a couple of seats, so come find us when you’re done.” He practically dragged Thomas away from the bar, obviously not willing to waste time and potentially give up a seat.

Sally watched them for a heartbeat longer, before giving a small, affirming nod. “Just a few more minutes, Sal,” she whispered to herself, “and then you can finally have your break.”

She had to admit, she was curious about whatever the two boys had been so eager to share, more than she had probably let on. Sally composed herself enough to go back to work for the last few minutes, turning back to the brewing machines, rapidly taking the customers’ orders. Most New Yorkers seemed to be in the mood for a café americano today, Sally noticed. Not that that piece of information had enhanced her day in any way. 

Fortunately, most of the customers were rather polite today, some tipping the baristas rather generously. It was always pleasing when that happened, as going home with a few extra dollars in your pocket was something to look forward to. 

Regardless, it wasn’t long before the next worker after Sally’s shift walked through the door. As soon as Sally saw them, she practically sprinted past them through the door and toward the back room, intent upon changing out of the ridiculous bulky apron she was required to wear. 

As she hung up her uniform and changed back into her regular clothes, she let her mind wander to whatever might be on the paper James and Thomas were so intent upon showing her. Her curiosity only pushed her to get changed faster, not knowing if she could stand the wait much longer. She came back out into the main area, quickly locating the guys as they waved her over.

“So,” Sally said, sliding into a seat that the boys had somehow miraculously saved for her, “what is it that I just _have_ to see?”

“Well,” Thomas began, lacing his fingers on the table in front of them, as James slid over the paper so Sally could see, “looks like New York is becoming a bit more dynamic overnight.”

“Yeah, this guy, Paul Revere, he’s really good at getting intel, even if it’s not released to the public,” James started as Sally’s eyes skimmed the report in front of her. “He sent us this. Anyways, it looks like the Revolutionaries are having their work cut out for them. Two new things happened, first this one guy, Alexander Hamilton-”

“-What a thot,” Thomas snorted, interrupting. “First day here, and he almost blew up the entire city. A big inconvenience, if you ask me.” James shot him a look- clearly they had been over this, and had already come to the conclusion that it wasn’t an appropriate thing to say. Sally raised an eyebrow at Thomas over the report. 

Thomas then cleared his throat, “Oh, pardon me. Please, continue.”

James sighed and shook his head, but obliged. “An inconvenience is one way of putting it. The guy almost put out the power for the city, with lightning or something. Oh, and, apparently the Loyalists are also becoming more active. They had gone fairly dormant since their last defeat in Hong Kong, but they’re back and rearing for more. They lured a squadron into a trap, causing them to call for backup.”

“And then one of them got really injured- Sunbeam- and eventually the redcoats just left. They were there to leave some dumbass message or something, seems like such a waste of time to me. This is exactly why we don’t have close affiliations to either side,” Thomas mused, now leaning back in his seat. “So who knows how long things will continue to be all fine and dandy in this city.”

Sally glanced between the report and the two boys at her table, still digesting all of this information. It was true that it was probably best not to affiliate themselves with either side for now, though sometimes she couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if they did. 

“Holy moly. All of this happened within a span of twenty-four hours?” She read over the sheet of paper in her hand again, blinking a couple times to make sure she was reading it correctly. “You two seem severely underwhelmed about this.” 

“Mhm yeah, maybe. We’ve had a lot of time to process our original thoughts,” Thomas said, accompanied by a shrug. “So try and keep this in mind when you’re going out and stuff. The Loyalists might be going after the Revos for now, but they had been known to target anybody with abilities in the past.” 

“Yeah? Well, that’s true. Lucky for me, my abilities are a little more subtle than yours, and a lot less flashy than what some of the ‘superheroes’ and ‘villains’ have,” Sally pointed out. “At least, a lot less flashy than that Hamilton guy. I’m pretty sure I won’t be nearly blowing up a city anytime soon.” 

“Fair enough,” James conceded. “Besides, it’s just basic knife and saber foot soldiers running around for now. If there’s only like a few of them, we can easily handle ourselves, most likely.”

Sally put her hand under her chin in thought, handing the report back to him. “Most likely,” she echoed. “But from what it sounded like in that report, there was an entire swarm of them attacking the squad the Revos sent out. After all, there’s no way that just a few Redcoats could mortally wound _Sunbeam_. I would just… be a little more cautious from now on. I mean, who knows when more Redcoats are gonna show up? Their numbers are basically increasing by the minute.” 

“True. Honestly, I’m not sure how the King gets so many people to follow him, abilities or not. Even then, his army and the Revos pretty much dominate the superhero world, and I don’t understand how,” Thomas said after James had put the paper away. “Anyways, since your shift is over, should we head back to the apartment?”

Sally nodded, stifling a small yawn as she stood up. “If you guys are ready to get out of here, I have _no_ objections whatsoever. I swear, one of these days I’m gonna get gray hairs from working here too long.”

James snorted. “Duly noted, Sal. Let’s get out of here. Please don’t actually work yourself to death, though, you’d be breaking more than a _few_ hearts in the process.”

|-

After a fairly short commute from Manhattan to Harlem via the metro, Sally, James, and Thomas entered their apartment, ready to just relax for the rest of the day. The two-bedroom space was comfortable enough for the three of them, Thomas and James taking the larger room and Sally in the smaller one. 

They had all attended the same university, and even though they were in different years, they had become good friends and decided to split the rent on a housing space, considering how broke college students can be. Besides, the dorms at the time had been in rather sucky condition.

“I’m ready to just relax and retire,” Madison puffed as he flopped down on their loveseat in the small, open living room-kitchen area. “What are the two of you going to do the rest of the night?”

Sally and Thomas exchanged glances. “Not much, probably,” Thomas said. “Same as you, just kind of chill out and get some R&R.”

“Yeah, sounds good to me. I think I have a few assignments to catch up on for classes, so I’ll probably go to my room and work on those, if y’all don't mind,” Sally chimed in, looking between the two boys.

“Naw, have fun doing your assignments,” Thomas replied, waving his hand dismissively. “We’ll be out here if you get too lonely.” 

Sally stifled a laugh. “I’m sure I’ll be fine. Have fun without me, guys,” she called, shutting the door to her bedroom and quietly locking it.

As soon as the door was shut, she hastily went over to her closet, digging out a black long-sleeved romper. It wasn’t much in the way of camouflage, but it had done the trick every other night. 

Sally had taken up a habit of sorts- after all, just settling for being a barista and a college student wasn’t enough for someone with powers. Most nights, she stayed in, but every once in a while, she went out to patrol the darker areas of New York late at night, stop small petty crimes and break-ins, and just take in the sights of the city.

She couldn’t help it- it was absolutely invigorating for her. Curiosity killed the cat, she supposed, but it was entirely worth the risk. It was times like this where she wished she were a part of a larger superhero organization, so she could utilize her abilities to their full capacity and defend the city full time. But for now, she confined herself to these night excursions- even if it was just a taste of the life she wanted. 

Zipping up the suit and adjusting her mask one last time, she pushed up the window and climbed out onto the fire escape, the sun having just dipped below the horizon, splashing all of New York City with its fiery hues. She closed her eyes for a second, the cacophony of the streets below resonating deep within her bones, the smell of cigarettes, perfume, and cheap takeout food filling her with an odd sense of calm. 

There was no question that this was her calling, her _destiny_. 

Sally leapt from building to building like she’d seen action heroes do so many times before, not even breaking a sweat as she sprinted from one rooftop to another. Thankfully, darkness was one of her greatest allies, and the sun just so happened to be pretty much gone. She could work around the lights of the city unseen just fine. 

There wasn’t much activity at all tonight- the only things she saw for the first twenty minutes after she’d left her bedroom was a cat rummaging through a dumpster, and then two people getting frisky in the back alleyway near a five-star restaurant- and she had the decency to avert her eyes. 

Then, all of a sudden, she saw something- eight or nine people surrounding a man down below, the bright lights from the city not reaching the sketchy-looking group, so the shadows hid them well. She swore she could hear the man in jeopardy whimpering. 

This couldn’t be good. 

She clung to the side of the building nearest them, gradually sliding downwards, trying to get a better idea of what they were saying. 

“...P-please, I don’t want no trouble,” the cornered man whimpered, now backed up completely against the alleyway. It was clear he’d been trying to talk his way out of the situation for several minutes now, by the way the members of the gang were fidgeting, shifting from one foot to another, and staring down the man like he was prey, and they the bloodthirsty predators. 

“We don’t care what you want, shrimp,” one of the men in the gang- from the looks of it, the leader- spoke, nonchalantly producing a switchblade from his pocket. “Now empty those pockets and nobody gets hurt. And don’t even _think_ about holding out on us.” 

Sally’s eyebrows furrowed as the man in the middle started to empty his pockets of their contents, looking like he was trying not to cry. This was where she drew the line- being a petty criminal, and taking from somebody who didn’t look as if they had much to begin with. 

This ended now. 

She slid further down the building’s concrete surface, propelling herself off of the wall and landing in between the gang and their next victim. 

“ _Leave him alone._ ”

It didn’t come off to be quite as menacing as she’d hoped. 

She turned toward the cowering man and mouthed _run_. No one needed to tell him twice- he sprinted out of there as fast as his legs could carry him. 

At first, the gang seemed amused that a twenty-something-old college age student had stepped in to thwart them, but their mirth quickly turned to confusion, shock, and then anger as their earlier victim got away scot-free. 

“Well, well, well, what do we got here? Another Revo?” The leader spoke coolly, though Sally could tell he was boiling with pent-up irritation. “Since our earlier friend got away, what do you say we have some fun with this one, huh, boys?” He asked, glancing back at his fellow thugs, who grinned maliciously. 

Sally showed no sign of fear as he continued on, though her heart was beating a mile a minute. “You made a mistake showin’ up here. You should know I ain’t afraid to beat you up, doll,” the leader added, his smirk now matching the one his gang members wore. 

Sally stared them down, determination etched into her expression. “You should be.” 

This got another laugh out of the gang, and it wasn’t long before the first punch was thrown. Sally dodged it with ease, dropping to the ground and sweeping her leg out, kicking the thug’s feet out from under him and causing him to crumple to the ground. Another one came up behind her, most likely intending to wrap his arms around her and immobilize her, but she elbowed him in the face before he could, satisfied when she heard a sharp crunch and the sound of someone falling to the ground. 

This surprised the other gang members for a moment, and Sally felt a flash of triumph- just for a second. A punch glanced at Sally’s chin, and she quickly diverted that. However she noticed too late that it was a feint, the second punch doubling her over and expelled the last bit of choked air from her adrenaline-driven body.

It had been a heck of a shot, these guys were larger and stronger than her, probably. Outside of having the wind knocked from her, which she always hated, Sally noticed a fair amount of discomfort with the gutshot. Of course, she fortunately knew how to handle herself. Even though it hadn’t been long since she had discovered her ability, and hadn’t had enough time to build up an arsenal of fighting moves, she had quickly become strangely resilient to physical pain.

She stood straight, eyes narrowed with annoyance, and stared at her opponents- some men in their late 20’s- right in their shifty little eyes. It didn’t take long for one of them to lunge forward, which Sally met with equal force.

“You...little…” Sally took a lurching step forward with each word. On the third, she swung: “ _Punk!_ ”

The blow felt too sluggish. Sally knew it the second she launched it. The smirking gang member ducked underneath it, but before he could even register what came next, the she took another body shot, this one to the ribs, sending fresh ripples of pain through her torso.

Another member went in for another shot. Sally shoved him off. Seeing the male scoot back so far against the weight of it gave her a second wind. She covered the distance between them. Threw three more punches that did land. Another guy went down.

Yet, there were still more.

It was unreal. Between some of the aching in Sally’s body, and a bit of general confusion, the sight of a few more, standing, fresh gang members was not something she wanted to see. Even with all the elbowing and kicking and left-right-lefting, she was still outmatched. Not that she really cared in the moment, anyway.

She threw a haymaker at another one- that the guy ducked but didn’t parry, then another that the male swung under again. Sally went in after him again, but another stood in the way, responding in turn with an uppercut.

 _Clack._ The sound of Sally’s upper and lower rows of teeth making unplanned contact sickened her. She didn’t fall- she made absolutely sure she did not fall- but it was still more painful than what she would’ve liked. 

No one moved for a moment, and after a heartbeat, the leader stood forward again. Sally would’ve liked nothing more than to slap that satisfied smirk off of his face, but she was smart enough to know she wasn’t in the position to do so.

“Now boys, it’d be such a shame to even further ruin such a beautiful face, huh? Y’aint ruthless enough to do such a thing.” He grabbed her chin, and Sally tensed, heart feeling like it was going to burst from her chest. “But then again...this pretty lil’ thing has been quite annoying.” 

The leader let go of her chin, shoving her against the back wall. “Listen here, _bitch_. You’ve got five seconds to run and get out of here before you make contact with my switchblade, ya hear?”

Sally didn't say a word. She simply glared at the gang members, cheeks flushing with heat at such an embarrassing defeat. She then took two steps back, body aching and sore as she turned and quickly fled from the alleyway, the hoots and hollers of glee from the gang members echoing mockingly behind her. 

At this point, she didn’t even know where she was running to, only that she had to get away from that alley and never, _never_ go back. Tears stung at her eyes, dripping hot and fast down her cheeks as she sprinted away, choking back a small sob. 

Who was she kidding? She wasn’t cut out to fight. She was no hero. 

She was nothing but a failure. 

|-

Thomas and James were having a much more relaxing time, basically just binge-watching TV and reclining on the couch. 

Really, no one could blame them- like Sally, they were both college students who also happened to have superpowers, and both those things combined could lead to exhaustion really quickly. 

The only real difference, of course, was they didn’t use sneaking out of the window to fight crime as their outlet of escape. 

James absentmindedly flipped through the different channels, looking for something decent to watch, while Thomas just kind of zoned out, his eyes on the TV, but not really watching what was on the screen. 

He allowed his mind to wander a little, wondering how Sally was doing on her projects for school and whatnot. She was the hardest-working person out of all three of them- she deserved a break more than either of them, really. Sometimes he wondered how she did it all and managed to stay of sound mind, all the while being the most kind and caring person he knew-

“-Thomas? Have you been listening to a word I’ve been saying?” James cut into his thoughts, looking a little irritated with him. 

Thomas looked put on the spot, eventually shaking his head sheepishly. “Uh… no. Sorry, my bad.” 

James sighed tiredly, pinching the bridge of his nose for a second. “I said your name about five times, but fine. I was just going to say that I’m turning off the TV. There’s nothing good on.” Thomas only nodded meekly, hoping that he wouldn’t guess what had been on his mind a minute or so before. 

“So, how’re things going?” James asked, getting up from the couch to make himself a late night snack in the kitchen, glancing back at his best friend as he spoke. 

Thomas blinked a couple times, clearly a little confused. “With what, exactly?” 

James snorted, getting a butter knife out of one of the drawers. “More like with _who_. You and Sally, of course.” 

“It’s going great, obviously. It’s not like we’ve had any fights or anything,” Thomas very well knew where James was getting at, however he just pursed his lips and pretended to be offended. 

“No, I know that,” James sighed with a good-natured eye roll. “You’re absolutely impossible. You know what I mean. You guys would make a cute couple, I’m just saying. Besides, it’s obvious you like her, and I’m pretty sure it’s mutual.”

Thomas snorted indignantly, though he knew James was sensible and wouldn’t tell him anything he didn’t think was true. “Oh, _I’m_ impossible? And how would you know if it’s mutual or not? It’s not like any of us openly discuss our nonexistent love lives except for you and me. Besides, how could I expect to have a chance with someone like- like _her_?” 

James shook his head, “This is exactly what I mean. It’s honestly a simple equation- two people, dancing around each other's feelings, and too afraid to admit it. They both think of each other as like the best person in the entire world, and are dumb enough to not notice it.” 

Thomas opened his mouth, about to scoff and tell James about how his thoughts on love were entirely abnormal for most people- but then there was a knock at the door. “Whatever you say. I got it,” he added, going over to answer it. 

He didn’t know what he had expected to see on the other side of the door, but it certainly wasn’t this. 

“Sally?”

Sally stood outside, shaking a little, and breathing heavily from running so fast. Her hair was a mess, and she had bruises adorning much of her face, neck, and forearms. If that wasn’t alarming enough, she also had tear streaks down her face, shiny and wet. She gave Thomas a nervous smile that came out more like a grimace. “Um… hey.” 

Thomas looked as if he didn’t know what to think about this- and then he tugged her inside, careful not to hurt her any further, shutting the door behind them. “What happened to you? What were you doing outside? And why in the hell are you hurt?!” 

That was all he really had time to ask before Sally started to break down again. “I-I’m sorry!” 

James came over, not knowing what was going on, but having seen enough. “Thomas, back off a little. She’s obviously overwhelmed, she can explain what happened after she gets cleaned up.” 

He then lead Sally off to the one bathroom in the apartment, murmuring words of comfort as she cried on his shoulder. Thomas numbly raised a hand to his mouth, silenced as he watched them disappear into the small bathroom, a foreign feeling of helplessness overtaking him.

How had he not noticed this before?

He could’ve done something. Convinced Sally that sneaking out alone and at night in the streets of New York City was dangerous, that there were other ways that she could help people. But instead, he had remained ignorant and unaware to all of this, for who knows how long.

At the very least, if she wasn't convinced, he could’ve helped her. But now Sally had gotten hurt, and Thomas feared that her confidence would have taken a horrible beating. He could have done something! But he was too late.

And now the girl he adored would have to suffer the consequences.


	7. S I X

Alexander had already had an eventful morning, as well as afternoon. He was ready to just continue to reside with the revolutionaries in peace for the rest of the night. And then that’s pretty much when his entire evening had gone to shit.

The two squadrons returned, beaten and bruised with John in tow, and of course he had freaked out a little bit. He understood that they weren’t invincible, and that this was the life of a superhero, but he hadn’t expected it all to happen so... soon. 

It didn’t take very long for many other members of the Revolutionaries to come to their aid, promptly sticking John on a gurney and whisking him off, a girl with raven-black hair who had been part of the patrol following after. Washington and Peggy immediately came over to scope things out, leaving the rest of the returned squadrons overwhelmed and trying to get a grasp on the situation.

Lafayette glanced at Alexander and tried for a small smile, which looked rather worn out. Alex raised his hand, giving a small wave in greeting from his position at a distance, sympathetically. 

Beside the group, seemingly a little uncomfortable, was a girl in a red cloak. She didn’t have her hood on, and she looked around nervously. Her beautiful face adorned some bruises, and Alex felt a twinge of pity. From the way some of the others regarded her, Alex figured that she wasn’t one of the Revos. This sparked quite the amount of curiosity in him, wanting to know who was who and where they were from, and what exactly _did_ happen when they had gone out. 

Peggy caught Alexander’s eye from where she was, and she whispered something to the two other girls nearby. They turned their attention towards him, and Alexander blinked at the sudden attention, not exactly sure what to do. Fortunately, he didn’t have to think about approaching and meeting new people, as Peggy soon grabbed them and dragged them over. 

Peggy grinned at Alexander as they approached, giving him a small wave. “Hey there, again. Looks like this afternoon has been quite busy,” she said, the other two girls coming up beside her. “Here, meet Angelica and Theodosia. You probably saw my other sister Eliza earlier, but she’s off to the healing ward, and the others should be conducting some sort of interrogation.”

“So you’re the newbie, huh?” The first girl spoke as Peggy went off, presumably in the direction of the healing ward or the interrogation room- with her, it was impossible to tell. 

The first girl’s large, feathered wings were curled protectively around her, one of them sagging a bit with a bandage at the end, and Alex could surmise that the cause was the fight that broke out. Her eyes were sharp, difficult for Alexander to meet, and no doubt full of spunk and intelligence. “I’m Angelica, Peggy and Eliza’s eldest sister. Good job nearly blowing up the city, but try not to do it again, eh? I’m usually the one who administers capital punishment around here.”

He couldn’t figure out if she was kidding or not, but before he had the chance to respond- “Alexander Hamilton, right? I’m Theodosia.” 

Theodosia’s smile was warm, teasing, but something about her eyes told Alex that he was being read and assessed. “And don't worry about Angelica. She’s scarier than a lot of us, but her bark is worse than her bite.”

Angelica grinned and rolled her eyes. “If that’s your conception of me, I won’t try to change your mind, ’Dosia.”

The girls’ playful banter was just enough to make Alex feel a little more at ease. In all honesty, he’d already heard of both of them- their superhero aliases were Angel and Psyche, respectively- but he didn’t want to be callous or fawn over them, so he wasn’t about to tell them so. 

“Well, to answer your questions, yes, I’m the newbie,” this part Alex admitted a tad reluctantly, “and yes, that’s my name. As for what was said about you, I suppose I’ll have time to figure that out for myself now. Though you strike me as a woman who’s never been satisfied,” he added, indicating Angelica, not realizing how his words could be taken the wrong way until they had already tumbled out of his mouth. 

Angelica’s face flushed darkly, her eyebrow arched as she looked at him, as if deciding whether or not beating him to a pulp here and now would be acceptable. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean. You forget yourself.” 

Alex blanched, then turned a shade of red all in a matter of seconds once he realized the double meaning hidden in his intended compliment. “Oh, no! No, that’s- that’s not what I meant at all,” he spluttered, quickly backtracking before any good opinion of him she might have been forming (or worse, his life) could be taken away. “I just meant that- well, you’re like me. I’m never really satisfied.” 

Angelica raised an eyebrow again, but her expression had significantly softened, and now she almost seemed… impressed. “Huh. Is that right?” 

It was all Alex could do to nod slowly, both of them appearing to have reached some sort of friendlier understanding, and perhaps there was even some sort of _spark_. 

“Ahem.”

Theodosia coughed softly, and both Alex and Angelica wrenched their previously locked gazes away from one another, looking a bit scandalized. “We should probably head down and see how John is doing. Check if his condition is stable, in the very least. I think the others from the battle are down there now, too- unless they’re interrogating Little Red Riding Hood.” 

Alex’s unusual feelings of awkwardness, embarrassment, and partial acceptance dissipated in an instant at the mention of John. “Good idea. I hope he’ll be okay.” 

He wasn’t just admitting that because the guy had been one of the very first people to actually treat him like a normal human being since the lightning incident, but also because Alex had come to consider him as someone he cared about during the short time he’d spent here. 

“I hope so too,” Angelica agreed, looking grim, her bushy black curls swaying as the three of them began walking briskly in the direction of the healing ward. 

|-

He’s not **_dead_** , is he?

Regrettably, that was the first thought that sprung in Alexander’s mind as soon as the trio made their way into the healing ward. It was a rather large room, with specialized medical corridors surrounding- it might as well been considered a separate wing of the building based on its size. 

John was lying on one of the beds in the ward, silently and still with his eyes closed, limbs tucked neatly beneath the sheet. He looked very peaceful- very youthful and innocent, really- but it was also somewhat alarming. There were bandages wrapped around his torso, and Alexander was grateful of their snowy-white appearance, masking any wound underneath.

“I know it’s difficult not to worry, but try not to do so too hard,” Theodosia’s voice, low in volume, came from behind him. He turned in surprise, before she continued. “John’s in the best healing hands you can possibly imagine.”

Angelica nodded at this, and her expression brightened, “Indeed!” her voice increased with a swing of glee, before she lowered it again. “But my sister’s healing him- and though she’s like, y’know, the best- there are other skilled people helping and monitoring him.”

Alexander nodded slowly, somewhat amused in all of this by Angelica’s enthusiastic nod to her sister’s talent. “I have no doubt that the most efficient hands in the world are working here.”

“Yeah, definitely,” Angelica agreed quickly, glancing around the room. There were some people here that he hadn’t noticed before, no doubt doctors, considering they were all checking up on John every once in awhile. 

“-Eliza, come here a sec!” The winged girl called out, breaking Alex’s observations, her voice mellow but still loud enough to be heard. 

A lithe-built girl with willowy limbs and long, breezy black hair looked over from where she was talking with another person, likely a fellow medic, and she came over with a smile. “Angelica! Theo!” she greeted brightly, though her face looked a tad bit tired. 

“My sister,” Angelica spoke again making an unnecessary but enthusiastic introduction, looking proud. 

Theodosia smiled softly, no doubt used to and endeared by Angelica’s gentleness towards her middle sister. “Hey Eliza, this is Alex. The guy who almost blew up the Empire State building earlier.”

“Oh!” Eliza turned towards Alexander, and a new sort of recognition came to her, as if she was seeing him for the first time. She almost appeared a little startled, like her heart was beating faster than usual. “Elizabeth Schuyler. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.” She politely stuck her hand out for him to shake. 

She really was pretty- her dark eyes shone as she looked at him, not with pity, but with a friendly sort of intrigue. She struck Alex as the sort of person who cared about everyone she came across. 

“Nice to meet you too,” he replied at last, moving to shake her hand. They never once broke eye contact; there was something almost _safe_ about looking at her. 

“It sounds as if you’ve had an eventful day. That was quite an entrance you made earlier,” Eliza added. She didn’t sound as if she was making fun of him- on the contrary, she almost seemed concerned- but her expression was one of gentle amusement.

“Well, if it takes nearly blowing up the city for us to meet, it will have been worth it.” The words were out, like always, before Alex could properly filter them. He mentally slapped his forehead. _Way to be subtle, Hamilton_. 

He felt a little better when it made her laugh, her face flushing a light pink as she looked at him. “Well, I must say I’m glad you feel that way.” 

She then cleared her throat, appearing to regain her composure for the most part. “Ahem. Anyway, John should be fine. He won’t be fighting for a few weeks, at least, but he’ll survive the blood loss.” 

A collective, relieved sigh rose up from the trio as Eliza relayed the positive news to them. “That’s good to hear. It gave us all quite the fright, what happened,” Theodosia spoke. Angelica only nodded silently, agreeing, but her eyes lingered back and forth between Alex and Eliza.

“Yeah…” Alexander softly echoed, finally managing to take his gaze from Eliza and focus it on John. “So… when exactly is he supposed to wake up?”

Eliza shook her head, a small frown etched on her face. Alexander then decided he didn’t like it when she frowned. “Can't say, honestly… we’ve stabilized him, but now it’s just mostly his fight on waking up. We’ve just gotta monitor him.” She glanced over the trio, “Anyway, I still have to treat you two for injuries,” she directed at Angelica and Theodosia. “How are the others doing?”

Alex could already tell Eliza radiated generosity. She was gentle, and he appreciated that. 

“The boys? They’re doing fine- they were getting treated earlier before Peggy dragged Theo and I over to meet Alex,” Angelica said as Eliza ushered them over to sit on a bench. 

Interestingly, both Angelica and Eliza kept sharing glances with him every so often. A part of him wanted to go sit with John for a bit, however he figured that it would be more meaningful to do it alone, even if he liked the girls. That way there were no distractions (even if they were welcome distractions), and he didn’t have to feel even the slightest bit self-conscious. 

“So, what exactly happened out there that made the guys have to request backup?” He asked as he sat down, still feeling a little like he was in the dark about the duration of their mission. 

“Well, for starters, they were completely outnumbered by Redcoats,” Angelica began, seating herself beside him, Eliza following suit on Alex’s other side, “and the entire attack was a surprise to them. They’d originally received a false distress signal from that area, so they weren’t exactly expecting a full-scale battle to occur.” 

“Then John got stabbed, and that was obviously worrying for everyone. If the battle hadn’t ended when it did… well, I don’t know if he’d still be alive right now,” Eliza added softly, biting her lip and tucking a lock of her dark hair behind her ear. “Thankfully I got enough blood transfused into him before you two came in. He’ll still be feeble when he wakes up, but he’ll be back to himself in no time.” 

Another murmur of relief arose from the three as they heard this from Eliza. Not that they were expecting anything else, they had some of the best healers in the world at hand here, working for and with the Revolutionaries. 

Eliza sighed, moving over to Angelica’s side, gently holding one of her sister’s wings. “And I still have to treat the both of you. Luckily, I was helped a bit, another medical staff here was able to ease my concussion. But we all need to be more careful. Seriously though, how did you two get your injuries? The boys are reckless, obviously, but how about you two?”

It was in moments like these were Eliza’s more maternal side was becoming more apparent, to Alexander, especially.

“Well, I was having so much fun flying around and disintegrating puny redcoats, that I unfortunately flew too close and met the business-end of one of their hand weapons,” Angelica sighed, unfurling her wings, much to Eliza’s apparent disgruntlement.

“And mine wasn’t actually redcoat-inflicted,” Theodosia chimed in sheepishly. “I became caught up and accidentally hit myself in the ankle with a baseball bat.” 

This earned a small snort of amusement from Eliza as she wrapped her sister’s wing carefully with medical tape. “Well, I’ll still treat you anyway. I’m sure we’ve all had mishaps like that on the battlefield.” She glanced over at Alex, her face flushing a little as she quickly corrected herself. “Um, I mean, those of us who have been out on the battlefield already, of course.” Angelica raised an eyebrow, finding her sister’s behavior to be far from normal. 

Alex smiled and shrugged, honestly finding it pretty adorable when she was flustered. “It’s okay, I got what you meant. And who knows, maybe someday I’ll be able to go out there with all of you.” 

Before anyone could say anything else, a small groan was heard from the hospital bed, and the slow, steady beeping of the heart monitor picked up into a regular heartbeat. “What… where- where am I?” 

“Oh, thank god you’re awake!” Eliza practically teleported over to John’s side (if Alex hadn’t seen someone else teleport earlier, he would’ve believed she had). John still looked nowhere close to his best, but at least he was conscious- though, it seemed, confused about his whereabouts. 

Eliza quickly filled him in on everything that had transpired as she checked his vitals and changed his bandages (she’d warned Angelica, Theo, and Alex to turn away, it was still a rather bloody sight), and by the time she was finished, John looked as if he wished the others had left him in the alleyway. “Jesus. We really screwed up this time.” 

Eliza shook her head, shushing him. “No, you didn’t. You did the best you could. There were just too many Redcoats and they overwhelmed you, that was all. No matter how experienced anyone in this agency might seem, we’re all still learning too. You weren’t the only one who got hurt.” 

John hissed softly as he tried to sit up, and Eliza quickly helped him so he wouldn’t tear any of her bandage handiwork. “Yeah, but I take it no one else got stabbed and bled all over an alleyway.”

“We all would have, if the Redcoats didn’t suddenly pack up and leave,” Angelica mused, sitting at the foot of John’s bed. “It’s so strange… it’s almost like they were covering up something else that was going on behind the scenes.” 

Suddenly, Theo’s watch buzzed three times on her wrist, and she looked down to check it. “Ang, you and I are needed in Interrogation Room 1791. They’re talking to Maria Lewis- if that really is her name.” 

John looked over at Theo curiously. “Maria Lewis? Who’s that?” 

Angelica pushed herself up off the bed, getting ready to follow Theo out of the room. “Guess we’re about to find out.”


	8. S E V E N

By the time Angelica and Theodosia made it to the interrogation room, there were already a handful people around, staff members, outside and taking notes. Normally, it would only be the people participating in interrogation that were needed, however everyone was likely on edge, following up on the recent events.

Currently though, excluding the two newly arrived girls, it was the Washington, Aaron, Lafayette, and Mulligan. They were all discussing quietly in the observing area outside the interrogation room, heads bent in close together as they whispered among themselves, the occasional nodding of a head being seen. 

It was likely safe to draw the conclusion that ‘Maria Lewis’ was inside the interrogation room, sitting in wait. Washington looked up when he noticed the approaching girls, and the rest of the discussing people drew their attention as well.

“Ah, excellent,” Washington said with a crisp nod of greeting, “We can proceed with the interrogation soon.”

Angelica nodded vigorously, stretching her arms out in front of her, cracking her knuckles. “We came as soon as we heard, and I’m here and ready.”

“So I can imagine we’re going about this the usual way?” Theodosia asked in turn, quickly and subtly brushing elbows with Aaron. 

“Pretty much,” Hercules affirmed, glancing around at the others, just as a re-briefing. “So Theo and I are on first wave, good-cop duty, Angelica and Lee are playing bad-cop, second resort, with Washington and Burr on observation and analyzing tasks. Right? Did I miss anything?” He glanced over at Washington, who shook his head.

“Well, then, if we’ve all reached an understanding of our separate roles, we may as well get started,” Aaron replied, always the professional one in situations like this, but it was easy to see he was eager about what sort of information they might be able to bring to light if the girl was a spy. 

“I couldn’t agree more, Aaron,” Washington replied, looking toward the entrance of the interrogation room. “I think it’s time to find out if this young lady is really who she claims to be.” 

|-

“First name?” 

“Maria.” 

The girl was strapped down in a solid-looking chair that looked like it could double as an electrocution execution chair, yet her expression remained calm and stoic. They had several monitors sticking to her head, chest, and arms, all of them attached to a lie-detector machine. 

In addition to all the equipment, Theodosia and Hercules were also there, asking questions, doing their first-wave thing. Part of Theo’s power was she could read minds- hence the alias of Psyche- and Hercules was also a walking, talking lie detector. There was no way Maria could possibly tell any sort of lie and possibly get away with it. 

Or so they thought. 

“Last name?” Theo pressed on as Aaron and Washington jotted down observational notes on their clipboard. 

“Lewis. I feel like we’ve been over this information before,” Maria sighed, looking almost bored with her circumstances. 

Theo’s expression was almost one of bafflement, but she quickly regained her sense of professionalism. “We have. I’m required to go over this information with you to make sure you weren’t lying when you first divulged your supposed name, so I’d appreciate it if you complied.” 

Maria sighed, shifting a little in the chair. “I never said I wouldn’t comply.” 

Theodosia and Hercules exchanged a brief glance, as if internally comparing notes. Herc lowered his eyes slightly, before turning back over to Maria. “Well, Miss Lewis, the lie detecting machines don’t say there’s anything off, but I hope you don’t mind if we still continue to ask questions?”

“It’s not like I can stop you,” Maria said with a small huff, crossing her arms in front of her chest. 

“Alright, thank you,” Hercules replied with nod, and Theo gave a half-smile, lacing her fingers on top of the small table in front of them. It was clear to both of the interrogators that it was time to change their approach. They couldn’t ask the routine questions, and just get straight-up, flawless answers like usual, they actually had to interrogate like normal people this time.

“Maria, let me just say one thing,” Theo began again, with a short sigh. “The goal of this interrogation is not and will never turn out to be a threat to you, and in no way will we administer punishment. We recommend honesty- if anything’s truly wrong with a situation you got caught in, we can help you. We’re advocates, not incarcerators.”

“Of course. You guys are the Revolutionaries,” Maria smiled softly this time. “Helping people is what you _do_.”

“Perfect,” Hercules said with a small nod, although he could tell this could end up going in circles. “Now, would you mind telling us, how exactly did you end up in the alley at such a good time?”

Maria hummed thoughtfully, as if he’d just asked her an intriguing trivia question, rather than inquiring upon her whereabouts, and why she’d gone to said whereabouts. “I was just traversing the city- looking around, you know. I’m guessing you’ve probably noticed by now I’m not really from here, so I thought that was normally what touristy people did. I left my suitcase at my hotel room- you can check the records of my stay, if you want, my baggage should still be there- and decided to go have a look-see. Then I happened to stumble in upon all of you, and- recognizing who you were, of course- I thought you might need a hand.” 

She said it all so nonchalantly, so vaguely, it was hard to believe that she was telling the truth. 

Yet Hercules felt absolutely nothing that suggested the girl could be lying. 

Theodosia couldn’t get anything either. Any time she felt she was close to catching a snippet of a thought, something unseen barred her efforts. It was as if Maria had put up some sort of mind shield, protecting her thoughts from being read.

How the hell was that possible? 

Theodosia hid her shock quite well, but she shared a worried glance with Hercules. He just returned in response with the tiniest shake of his head, silently urging Theo to ask another question. They weren’t really going anywhere… but the smallest information was better than no information.

“So, you evidently fight very well,” Theodosia complimented. “And you’re no doubt a prodigy. Now that you’re here, and you’ve become known to us, do you have any plans for the future?”

Maria couldn’t suppress a small smile at the praise. “Thank you for saying so. I was actually going to try and get a job to generate some sort of income, of course, but… this might sound ridiculous, but I do have a superpower. Of sorts, anyway. This agency was going to be the first place I applied for a position, and I was actually on my way over here to schedule an interview on the lower levels when I encountered all of you.” 

“Right,” Theodosia exhaled slowly. “Right, of course. I can certainly see how that on you’re way here, to a superhero agency, you decided to go ‘traversing’ through the city to do touristy things and just end up in an alleyway. Surely sounds reasonable. But, that’s just me. Your methods of navigating are purely subjective,” she said, leaning back in the chair.

Next to her, Hercules grunted softly, not really sure what to make of this interrogation. Normally, neither of them were this edgy, and they normally achieved a strong air of professionalism and success during these questions, but the fact they were rendered close to powerless threw them both off.

Maria pursed her lips, looking as annoyed and on edge as Theo and Hercules felt. She opened her mouth to speak, no doubt to argue, but Washington held up his hand, quelling whatever might have been said. “Thank you, Miss Lewis, that’s quite enough for now. Since it seems this interrogation isn’t nearly as successful as we hoped it would be, perhaps it would be wise to reconvene after a twenty-four hour period.” 

The other Revos nodded and murmured their collective agreement. “Then it’s decided,” Washington sighed. “Interrogation adjourned.” 

-|

Sally hadn’t come out of her room since the night before. 

Thomas knew she’d called in sick to work- there was no way she was going to miss a day without an explanation. Her manager knew how hard she worked- he no doubt trusted her word. 

He still felt bad about basically yelling at her the other night. Even if he’d had good intentions, they never really seemed to work out in his favor these days. 

Thomas had been rather tempted to check up on Sally multiple times, however he always managed to internally talk himself down on the subject. James had been diligent, sitting in the living room, watching for some time as Thomas pretty much paced back and forth in front of Sally’s door.

James sighed, rolling his eyes slightly from his position on the couch. “Just knock on her door already or something. It’s not that hard.”

“It’s _plenty_ hard,” Thomas shot back, almost a little too defensive. “Here, you come do it and prove to me how easy it is.”

“Listen, Tommy,” -James was probably one of the only people who could get away with calling Thomas that- “I’m not the one with a crush on her. Also you’ve done harder things.”

There was a moment of hesitation, in which Thomas just stared at James, unblinking, his mouth pressed in a disgruntled, hard line. Another moment, then Thomas begrudgingly sighed and rolled his eyes, acquitting. 

“Fine, whatever,” he said with a wave of his hand, before knocking softly on Sally’s door, turning his back to James. “Sally?” He called quietly, gently, holding his breath while waiting for a response.

“You’ll thank me later,” James muttered, before turning his attention to his phone and leaving Thomas to pursue entry in peace.

A few heartbeats went by, and Thomas rapped his knuckles against Sally’s door again, desperately hoping that she would let him in. He then caught himself off-guard, when was Thomas Jefferson ever desperate for anything? He couldn’t think of any other time he’d experienced such a feeling, and that scared him to no end. 

Before he could ponder this any further, he heard it-

“Come in.” 

The voice was quiet, meek, hollow, as if its owner had been crying all too recently, but it was there, and that was all Thomas needed to hear. His breath hitched, and it took a tense moment before he slowly pushed open the door, quietly entering her room and softly closing the door shut behind him. 

He almost thought she wasn’t there at first- but then he realized she was on her bed, tucked haphazardly underneath a pile of quilts and blankets. She looked for all the world like a multicolored mummy, her attention on something-or-other playing on TV. Only her head stuck out from underneath, her short curly hair disheveled, her face still quite bruised, her eyes red-rimmed with unshed tears, and her expression heavy from sleep, or perhaps lack thereof.

And in spite of it all, she was still beautiful. 

“Hey,” he said softly, so quietly it seemed as if he were speaking to something much more fragile than a girl in a mountain of blankets, but he was afraid that speaking too loudly might result in the same reaction as yesterday. 

Sally looked over in Thomas’ general direction, but didn’t quite meet his eyes. It hurt a little more than he liked to admit. “Hey.” She reached one hand out from underneath the heap of blankets and patted a spot on the bed next to her, which instantly made him feel a little better. He slowly crossed the room, sitting on the bed, the mattress springs squeaking in protest. 

There were a couple more beats of silence so loud, it hurt Thomas’ ears. Finally, he willed himself to speak. “Are… are you okay?” He mentally slapped himself. “Sorry, stupid question.” 

Sally laughed softly, but it sounded tired and a little bit forced. “No, it’s fine. I’m- I’m doing alright.” 

“That’s good,” Thomas replied, awkwardly glancing at the TV. He didn’t quite know how to broach the subject of last night, and he had a sinking feeling that she didn’t either. 

After several seconds sluggishly ticked by, Sally reached for the remote and shut off the television, causing Thomas to look back over at her in slight confusion. She took a deep breath, finally managing to look him in the eyes. “So… about last night-“ 

“-I’m sorry,” Thomas immediately interjected despite himself. “I just- I was in shock. I had no idea that you were even out of your room, so when I saw you out there, all bruised up… I kind of lost it. It was just a little too much to take all at once. I- we were so worried about you.” 

Sally didn’t say anything for at least a minute or so, and Thomas swore that minute was the longest one of his life. She looked ashamed, guilty, like she wanted to sink into her mattress and never come back out. 

“I’m sorry, too,” she mumbled at last. “It was stupid of me, putting myself in danger and keeping you- and James- in the dark. I thought I was actually doing the city some service. I thought that since I have superpowers, I should utilize them for the good of the city and its citizens, but… I wasn’t strong enough. There was this gang about to mug someone in a back alley… I couldn’t just stand there and watch. I needed to help. But there were too many of them… the only reason they didn’t kill me is because they saw me for what I am- weak. So I ran, as fast as I possibly could away from there. That’s not what a real hero would do. I’m nothing but a fool. I’m a failure, Thomas.” She looked absolutely torn up inside, her expression somehow hollow but still riddled with emotional pain. 

Thomas was the one who didn’t speak for a minute or so this time. He didn’t know what to think- if what she was saying was true, she could have been killed in a back alleyway by a violent gang, and that alone was enough to break him down inside from his very strongest fortifications. He knew the last thing she needed was for someone else to berate her- she was doing enough of it to herself. 

“You’re not a failure,” he began quietly, making her look up at him, her expression still stubbornly doubtful despite the tears beginning to brim in her eyes. “You were doing the city some good by standing up for that person, and you were all those other nights you went out and righted some wrong that probably would’ve stayed the same if not for your input. You made a difference in their lives for the better. Even the strongest of superheroes get taken down sometimes- after all, they’re only human, and so are you. You said yourself you couldn’t just stand there and watch- you were doing what you felt was right, even if you put your life in danger.” He dared to quirk a small smile at her. “Now, tell me that isn’t something a real hero would do?” 

Sally barked out a small laugh; it was breathy and wet with tears, but it was genuine. She let a few of the blankets drop off of her shoulders, reaching over to hug him. “How is it you always know what to say to make me feel better?” 

Thomas smiled softly as he hugged her back, her head resting on top of his shoulder. She smelled lovely- like vanilla and lilacs on a warm spring evening. “What can I say? It’s a gift,” he jested, and he could basically feel her grin and roll her eyes at him. 

They stayed that way for a long while, Sally’s much smaller frame enveloped by Thomas’ as he traced gentle patterns on her back to soothe her. 

When she finally pulled away to wipe the tears still creating listless, shiny tracks down her face, he cleared his throat and began to push himself back up off the mattress, deciding that was most likely his cue to leave. “Well, let me know if you need anything else, alright?” He was almost on the floor again when-

“-Wait.” Sally’s small, much more elegant hand was resting on his. The action was so small, he hadn’t felt it at first, but it was very much there- he could feel its warmth from lying dormant under the avalanche of blankets for so long. “Can you stay?” Then, after another moment: “Please?” 

She sounded almost desperate, as if she were afraid Thomas would actually leave her alone in here again. 

_As if I could possibly say no to you,_ he thought.

“Of course.” 

Sally practically beamed as Thomas scooted himself back onto the center of the mattress, and she made room for him in her blanket pile, switching the TV back on and finding something good to watch. They laid back, shoulder-to-shoulder, just barely touching, but it was somehow incredibly intimate in its own right. 

They both knew in their hearts somehow that moments like this, between school and coffee shop shifts and back-alley fights, could never possibly last as long as they wanted in this ever-changing world of uncertainty- yet neither suspected that the other felt they could stay this way for all eternity, in their little corner of forever. 

-|

The interrogation was over, and there really hadn’t been much in the way of progress. The Revolutionaries stood together in the observation room, discussing, with Maria still in the interrogation room. Although the group had been observing and listening the entire time, Hercules and Theodosia were still giving them a rundown of what exactly had happened.

“-Are you sure I shouldn’t have gone in?” Angelica promptly cut off Hercules during a paused thought. “I could’ve tried to do the whole ‘bad cop’ thing. Sometimes it can be really effective, and she seems tough. She won’t get traumatized or anything.”

Washington shook his head, “No, I think we’re fine, Miss Schuyler, although we do not have any doubt in your methods of interrogation. From what we’ve heard, nothing seemed to work.”

“Right,” Aaron said, tapping his note-taking pen on his chin thoughtfully. “If Maria Lewis possesses a power to evade both Theo’s telepathy and Hercules’ lie detection, it’s highly unlikely anything else would work.”

“See, here’s the thing,” Theo said, leaning against a wall with her arms crossed. “You’re right, neither Herc or I could really get her mind, but I did manage to pick up on something small-- she’s afraid. Why, and of what, I have absolutely no idea. But she is fearful. What do you guys make of it?”

A couple of hasty glances were exchanged, before Lafayette spoke up. “It’s difficult to tell if we can’t really get a read on her...she doesn’t seem too dangerous. She acts like a foreigner though… it’s easier to tell when you’re also one, in my opinion.

“That, for one, I agree with,” Hercules laced his fingers together in front of him. “So what now?”

“For now, you all are dismissed,” Washington folded his arms behind his back, “Send me your own interpretational reports of the interrogation by tonight, and I’ll go over them and figure out next steps. We’ll keep Miss Lewis in our surveillance-watched rooms for now, but she will not be barricaded like a prisoner. If you feel as if you have any urgent observations, share them with me privately as soon as possible.”

There was a murmur of gratitude that arose among the young adults standing in the room, and slowly, they all collected their papers and exited the room, going off to wherever else in the building they needed to go. It was likely that a few of them would be on patrol tonight: the normal crime-scouting many Revolutionaries had to participate in during the night.

Another moment had passed, and Washington hadn’t yet left the room, shifting a few things into place before looking up. “Theodosia?” 

The girl looked over when her name was called, not quite having disappeared from the room, preparing to walk with Aaron and Angelica. “Yes?” she asked the General, adjusting the glasses on her nose as she blinked at him.

“Stay behind a moment, would you?” Washington asked with a wave, pulling up a chair. “I need to inquire about something.”

“Alrighty, sure,” she said, before glancing at her compadres with one of those ‘go ahead, I’ll find y’all later’ looks, before fully entering the room again, Angelica and Aaron going ahead and leaving it. “So what can I do for you?”

She didn’t give Washington much time to answer before she went on. “I want to apologize for how today’s interrogation went, and that quite honestly it was likely the worst that Hercules and I have ever conducted. Not that he did anything bad- Herc handled himself extraordinarily well for our powers not working, and did better than I did. But what do you think? Do you think it would be wise for us to get into touch with what’s left of the military, and take notes from them on their past methods of interrogation?”

Washington, almost baffled for once, raised up his hand to urge her to listen. “No, don’t worry. There’s nothing else to be done. We could potentially look into contacting the military though, if we see that to be necessary. But that’s not what I wanted to talk with you about. I had a possible mission in mind.”

“Really?” Theodosia’s eyebrows shot up, eyes sparkling in interest. She then peered at him more closely for a moment, before leaning back on her heels. “Oh. _Oh._ ”

“So I take it you understand then,” Washington said, leaning forward in his chair. “Charles Lee is currently out on a mission of his own- which is why he wasn’t present at the interrogation- however I’m not sure his methods of approach are most effective. While he’s one of the most powerful and advanced fighters we possess… his area of expertise isn’t exactly in reconnaissance.”

“So you need someone who can read minds, huh?” Theo murmured quietly, before looking back over at the General. “I’m getting a sense of what you’re asking me to do, and I’m almost certain that Eliza or Peggy would appeal to our target much more than I would. Besides, how can we be certain that this person doesn’t have the same resistance to mental… infestation?”

“Lee has been working with this person already- Jacques Marcus Prevost. Prevost is a fairly high-ranking officer in the Loyalists, being ranked high enough to know information that many others wouldn’t, but not to the point where he’d be closely monitored by the King every moment. We’re still awaiting Lee’s report on where he’ll be stationed at the time of need,” Washington informed.

He then produced a file he’d been been holding in his jacket, handing it over to Theo. “Take a moment to look it over.”

Theodosia opened the file, seeing a page or two of information on this ‘Jacques Marcus Prevost’, from his place of birth to his blood type to any allergies he possessed. She paused at where it documented his abilities, looking at it with interest.

 _Powers:_  
_Prevost has a form of telumkinesis; he is capable of changing his emotions into weapons. Beware when he becomes angry, as that is his strongest and most frequent emotion, and it can make extremely powerful tools. When his current emotions aren’t enough to produce a weapon, he tends to use other feelings he has stored in these vials of his. On occasion, Prevost can suck the emotions out of another person._

“Fun,” Theodosia remarked, folding up the file, planning on going through it more in the future. “So for reference, you’d like me to essentially sexually manipulate a Loyalist man and win his affection in the form of a long-term relationship, so I can essentially leech into his mind and get all the information possible.”

Washington remained stoic, but he seemed a little taken aback, if anything. “Well, I wouldn’t word it precisely like that, however-”

“Oh don’t worry, I understand,” Theo said with a humorous snort. “But I suppose I truly don't have any choice in accepting this mission or not. But that’s alright. Just… would you mind keeping me updated when it comes to figuring out when I’ll have to meet this man, where he is, and those details? Also, is he completely unaware of any of this?”

“Not exactly,” Washington began. “Lee was attempting to ‘befriend’ this man in part of his mission, however he has come close to blowing his cover. Basically, Lee, from the position of a friend, has set up Mr. Prevost on a ‘blind date’, who of course, would be you.” 

Theodosia’s mouth formed a hard, thoughtful line, and she looked away for a moment. “Alright. But I draw the line at sexual intercourse,” she said, bluntly, though not without respect. 

Washington gave a curt nod. “Understood, wholeheartedly.”

Theodosia then drew herself up, sitting straight, meeting Washington’s eyes. “Then thank you. And I assure you I’ll complete this task as satisfactorily as possible. I appreciate this opportunity,” she thanked him, professionally.

“Of course, and I have no doubt in your success,” Washington addressed, standing up with what could perhaps be considered a small smile. “Now, I assure you that any extra information will be sent your way.”

“Thank you again, sir,” Theodosia responded, and turned away, walking off, the file still in her hand. “And good luck.”

Washington nodded to himself as she left, and he was now alone in the room. He knew what she was talking about with the good luck; there were many additional things he needed to do. First things first- he needed to go talk to Alexander Hamilton.


	9. E I G H T

“So… what did he say?” Aaron asked, leaning casually against the wall as Theodosia stepped out of the interrogation room. 

Theodosia shrugged. “Not too much. We just discussed a new mission assignment he’d like me to do.”

“Which is...?” Aaron inquired as they walked in the same direction, back toward the ‘office’ levels. 

“Something with some Loyalist commander or whatever. We’re just basically trying to get as much information and connections to find out stuff about the other side, and we’re planning on doing a lot of that through this one guy,” she told him, pushing the elevator button to go down.

“I thought that they were having Lee take care of that?” Aaron murmured, seeming a little dubious. “Though I can see why he might need your help.” 

“Yeah, well, you know Lee and his antics,” Theodosia said. “But even if everything was running smoothly, they still want to pick up the pace on things.”

“Ah, I see,” Aaron replied, but he still didn’t sound quite convinced. He knew Theodosia, and he could somehow sense that something was a little bit off. “And that’s the only reason they’re sending you?” 

“Sort of. The objective is simple enough. It’s really just how we’re going about it that makes it… different. Basically, I’m supposed to ‘date’ this guy, to get closer to him and stuff. But trust me, it’s all pretend,” she reassured him.

Aaron looked taken aback for a moment- just a moment- but he seemed a little more at ease when she said the last part. “Oh. Oh. I see. I mean… I should hope it’s all pretend,” he added, a small, contemplative half-smile on his face in what seemed to be his own attempt to find humor in the situation. “I suppose that’s one of the many tactics Lee would have trouble with. Do you- um- do you have to… engage in sexual intercourse?” 

Theodosia half-snorted, kindly patting Aaron on the shoulder. “Yeah, this isn’t exactlty Lee’s area of expertise, that’s for sure. But about the intercourse aspect… no. I shouldn’t. I already mentioned that to Washington, somehow. If for some reason it forcefully escalated to that, I’d be done with the mission,” she said, her dry smile matching his. 

Aaron couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “Good call. Plus, I know if the guy tried to force anything on you, you’d most likely end up killing him.” The elevator dinged, signaling their arrival on the working floor. 

Aaron glanced over at her again as they stepped out, suddenly seeming almost… melancholy. “Do you know how long you’ll be gone?”

“It… depends, a lot. On how everything goes. The thing is, I might be able to come back between interactions. If he turns out to be stationed somewhere on the east coast,” Theodosia figured.

Aaron just nodded solemnly, seeming to accept the more positive option as a possibility and nothing more. “Okay. Well… here’s hoping. Is Washington expecting you to leave immediately?”

“Not right away, but within the next couple of days. Lee just came back, he tied up all loose ends and set up things for my shift, so sooner rather than later,” Theo said, a hopeful smile coming to her face. “So we’ll just have to enjoy this time while we have it.”

“That makes sense,” Aaron replied, already looking far less somber at the sight of Theo’s hopeful expression. Really, her happiness was entirely contagious for him. “But you’re right, I suppose we will.” 

He had to fight the urge to reach for her hand- they’d agreed that PDA was most likely not something they should exhibit within the workplace, and goodness knows that wasn’t something the General would tolerate, either. 

Theo paused, seeming to sense his thoughts, and slowly took ahold of Aaron’s hand. “I think we could make an exception,” she whispered coyly, as if they were doing something much more scandalous than holding hands. 

Aaron felt his face heat up, not necessarily from the gesture, but more of the implication in his girlfriend’s tone. “Okay,” he whispered back, a little shy for once, but he held her hand tenderly as they walked back to the workplace. 

Both superheroes put the fact that Theo would have to leave soon out of their minds, intent upon spending what little time they could together before she’d be gone for god knew how long. 

They might not often show it around others, but they loved each other more than simple words or actions could ever possibly convey.

|-

“You wanted to see me, sir?”

Alexander found himself standing in front of Washington for the second time in 24 hours. This time he was far more relaxed, knowing that these Revolutionaries had no intent on blowing his head off or using him for freaky science experiments.

“Yes, thank you from meeting me here promptly,” Washington said, sitting behind his mahogany desk. 

Alexander took note that the General seemed to have a peeved expression on his face, mouth drawn into a hard line and eyes a little sharper than normal. His mind flashed back to when he was in the infirmary- when Angelica and Theodosia had to quickly depart for some interrogation or other. 

Alex wondered how that went, and if it was anything to prelude to Washington’s demeanor, then likely not as well as desired.

Washington continued on after a moment of silence, “We have taken notice of your behavior since arrival, and suspect that you’re keen on joining us. However we understand that these decisions take time, as well as the factor of figuring out if you are indeed fit for the life of a superhero-”

“Of course I am! I don’t do easy!” Alexander cut in, not able to help himself, his tone rising with a swing of determination. Noticing he had interrupted, he lowered his eyes. “Uh- sorry.”

“As I was saying, the life of a superhero is indeed not easy. Keeping that in mind, there are many, many powerful people who may just not suit this role. There are some who want to stay vigilantes, people serving their own agenda when they want to do it, how they want to do it,” Washington explained, expression as placid as usual.

Truth be told, Alex prided himself on his independence. For a long while he practically raised himself, and found his own way on life, which eventually led him here. He wrote his way out of hell! When his prayers to God were met with indifference, he picked up a pen, he wrote my own deliverance! He was Alexander Hamilton, and Alexander Hamilton didn’t need anybody.

And yet when he had first been taken here, become acquainted with many of the people, felt concern for an injured superhero whom he had just barely met- he couldn’t help but feel a tug in a certain direction. Now that his powers had manifested, a part of him could never turn back, and he knew that he would always feel a little out of place.

Except for here. Everyone was just as weird as he was, so that was a plus. But everything aside, he truly did feel like that he might be able to cultivate something real here. Finally chill out and focus on thriving, not just surviving.

“Yeah, sure,” Alex exhaled slowly, a quirk of a smile on his face. He then nodded, affirmingly. “I’ll join. I get the whole independence and vigilante thing, but I think I’ll stay. I don’t really know where else I was going to go, anyway. Besides, it’s America! In New York you can be a new man, and I intend to fully live out the ‘American Dream’.”

“Fantastic.” Washington seemed satisfied at the moment, for some strange reason. “Like you said, you’re still new here. In order to be as effective as possible, you’ll need to know the layout of the city- memorize it, even. Of course, we can operate further than New York, but this is a good place to start.”

Alex nodded again, leaning back in his chair. “Sounds good. So, how am I going to do that? Am I going to get a tour of the city or something?”

“Precisely. I’m going to have a rather experienced member of the agency showing you around. They’ve been on many missions, and has been training since before the Loyalists went dormant after their first defeat,” Washington entailed Alex, folding his hands in front of him.

“Radical.” A list of people Washington could be describing flashed through Alex’s brain- he had a couple of names in mind who could fit. Hercules, maybe? Lafayette? John might’ve been a good choice, but he was rather indisposed at the moment. Angelica or Eliza, perhaps? Any of those options sounded good to him. 

“Yes… radical. They’re waiting outside right now, so good luck.” 

“Uh, thank you, sir.” Alexander pushed his chair backwards from the desk, giving him more room to stand up. “I appreciate the aid and opportunity you guys are giving me.”

He really was going to be a superhero! Any immigrant’s greatest dream.

“Of course. Now I don’t recommending keeping him waiting- he’s a lot of things, but between you and I, patient isn’t one of them.” Washington said, rising to his feet as well, the large, metal ‘R’ catching the light behind him. For the first time, Alex was wondered what ability the General possessed. If he could build the world’s largest superhero agency, probably something scary.

Alexander inclined his chin, “Right. Thank you again, sir.” Not really sure what else to say, or just afraid that his mouth would take off for some reason and ruin something, he promptly turned and strode out of the elegant room, briefly aware of Washington’s commanding yet non-threatening presence behind him. 

Not wasting another moment, Alex left the room behind him, eager to see who his supposed tour guide was, and whether he had already met them or not.

He didn’t know who exactly he’d been hoping for, but either way, he was disappointed.

The man leaning casually against the wall outside Washington’s office wasn’t anybody Alex already knew or had been introduced to. His air was one of mild, almost contagious indifference, as if he couldn’t care less about the task he’d been assigned- that was the first red flag. The second was the cigarette between the stranger’s lips- Alex had never been particularly fond of anyone who smoked, and he was fairly sure he’d seen “No Smoking” signs posted all around the headquarters. 

Oh, he knew it wasn’t exactly fair to judge someone prematurely, before they even opened their mouth, but there was just something so entirely off about him- so judge Alexander did.

“Hamilton, right?” The stranger inquired, taking a long drag from his cigarette before exhaling- Alex had to stop himself from coughing. “Charles Lee.” Third red flag.

He stuck his hand out to shake, which Alex accepted, thinking, wait, this is the guy everyone doesn’t like? Oh no. Well, at least he’s being civil… so far. “That’s me. Nice to meet you.”

Charles shrugged and flipped his fingers in the air, still shrouded in indifference and cigar smoke. “How about we don’t drag this out too long, hmm? I’m not keen on encountering some seedy figure tonight.”

Alex resisted coughing again before answering- he was trying so hard not to judge Charles, but there was basically every reason for him to. “Uh… okay. Sounds fine to me.” 

Charles nodded, pushing himself off the wall and walking down the hall without so much as a head tilt as indication for Alex to follow. “Good. Let’s get this over with.”

Alex didn’t bother to stop himself from rolling his eyes— this was going to be quite the long night.

|-

The night was lasting far longer than Alex hoped. New York City, while busy and tall, wasn’t physically large by any means. However, Charles was the exact opposite of a gracious tour guide and citizen of the Big Apple. As he absentmindedly pointed out places to Alex, without much thought put into anything he was saying, he left a trail of dead cigarettes wherever he went- even in landscaped parks and across homeless men.

Alex was almost entirely sure a scrappy-looking pigeon gobbled one up, and he had to cringe at that. He followed after Charles, apologizing hastily to whoever he decided to bump into. He was waiting for a moment, just a brief second, that could possibly show why this man was a Revolutionary, and a council member at that.

Alex had the feeling that Charles was only doing this because he had to. While everyone else had made an effort to at least become somewhat well acquainted with Alex, Charles wasn’t giving anything.

“So… I didn’t see you earlier, when everyone came back from the fight...” He began, trying to break the ice, and was hit with a momentary pang of gloom as he remembered John. Poor John, bleeding and unconscious. Alex forced that unpleasant thought away for now. “Were you on, like, a mission or something?”

Charles looked like he was resisting rolling his eyes as they continued down the sidewalk, presumably in the direction of the Empire State Building. “Where else would I have been besides here? Yeah, I’ve been on a mission for the past few weeks. Over spying on enemy lines, that kind of stuff. The only reason I’m back here now is because Mrs. Theodosia Burr is taking over for me.”

Alex was starting to wish Theo wasn’t taking over for Charles. He was trying remain civilized and calm, knowing that this had to go well in order to make a good impression on Washington. 

He simply nodded and tilted his head back, looking up at the skyscrapers and bringing his hand up to shade his eyes from the golden-hour sunlight. “That sounds pretty important. Are you… happy to be back now?” It was the only question Alex could come up with. Keep the conversation going, and hopefully the tension would ease over.

Charles shrugged, not even looking back at him as he answered. “I suppose so. Anywhere is better than being with those British immigrant scum.”

Well that certainly caught Alex’s attention. He blinked hard, processing all the possible intentions behind Charles’ words. Perhaps the council-member was just peeved directly at the Loyalists, but the way he just so casually addressed them as immigrant scum- Alex just couldn’t let that slide.

“Well, surely you can’t blame the Loyalists’ incompetence solely based on the fact they’re from another country,” he seethed between clenched teeth. Alex was desperately grappling with himself to not become so riled up over just a few petty words, but his defensive tactics were instinctively kicking in. 

Charles still wasn’t looking at him, but there was a smug edge to his voice, as if he knew he was grinding Alex’s gears- and as if he wasn’t planning on stopping. “Oh, I meant what I said. Filthy human beings, every last one of them. They don’t deserve to live in our country.” 

“What about Lafayette? Or Hercules?” Alex was openly glaring at him, knowing that Charles was just trying to piss him off- and god, it was working. “They’re your comrades. Laf’s even on the council, and Herc’s got an important gig as an interrogator! Are you saying that they don’t deserve to be here?” 

Charles just glanced back at him, smirking coolly, feeling Alex’s glare on him. Truth be told, he thrived on conflict, so this was nothing but a game to him. Oh, he still held a less-than friendly opinion of immigrants, sure, but the fact that Alex was one made it all-the-more easy to target him. “Good to know you actually have functioning ears. I suppose those two are useful in some ways- if not for their… disposability. After all, it’s one less valuable American life lost.”

At this point, Alexander was positively seething with a barely-tempered rage, and he would’ve liked nothing more in this moment than to throttle the man smirking in front of him. 

He was about to settle for ripping him a new one when Charles held up a finger, as if about to scold a misbehaving child. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Remember, although Washington sees whatever potential you might- or might not- have, he doesn’t trust you yet. Whatever feedback he hears about this tour will be coming directly from me. It would be a shame for you to end your pathetic superhero career before it even began, wouldn’t it? So I suggest you get your ass in line and shut up before you do something you might regret.” 

Alex closed his eyes in exasperation, rubbing his temples, but he knew Charles was right. He desperately wanted to become a superhero, and it would crush him if this opportunity he had been granted slipped through his fingers. He glared back up at the sneering Revolutionary, who in the moment, seemed to fit under the same umbrella the Loyalists would fit under. 

He thinks he’s better than everybody else, just because he has some superhuman ability and is highly ranked. Entitled brat. “Fine,” Alex muttered after another moment of being stared down. “Just get on with it.”

“Perfect.” Charles wore a sickening, triumphant smile, and Alex had to quite literally bite his own tongue to keep himself from refuting. He was already methodically planning out his rant to Lafayette and Hercules- but regardless of what happened, this was going to be a long tour of the city. 

|-

Maria was more or less free to walk around, considering the Revolutionaries hadn’t gathered enough evidence to convict her during the failed interrogation. However, she was experienced enough to know that there were certainly security cameras or drones out of sight that were watching her every move.

Still… she felt more protected here than she did with the Loyalists. Maybe they “respected” her a little more there, but she didn’t have any fear of being snuck up on or belittled. Here, she was a point of focus, and these people acknowledged her talents, and that she could potentially be a threat.

Nobody was in sight, and that was to be expected, considering that this floor was the “Rest Hall.” The front foyer of the building, all the way on the ground floor, was a large and open sitting area, but she gathered that it was mostly used for visitors and guests. Where she was currently was mostly used for naps or breaks in between missions or assignments, most likely.

She perked up as she heard laughter further down the hall, and inched toward the jovial sound, wondering if there were any special events going on this evening. She came to one of the many doors, a hastily-written, messily scribbled “No Boys Allowed” sign taped on the front. Maria’s brows furrowed, noting that the door wasn’t completely open. Shrugging, she peeked through, curious to see where- and from who- the laughter was coming from.

It appeared to be a comfortable room, yet urban in its own right. It definitely looked to be more of a hangout room than anything, considering that there were many objects and decorations in there that seemed miscellaneous when compared to others, like many different styles had been taken into consideration, and when not one could be decided upon, somebody just threw them all in there. There was a soft, wall-to-wall rug on the floor, and large, plush bean bags as the seating. 

What really caught Maria’s attention, however, were the four girls inside the room. Theodosia was throwing grapes into the air, and Peggy and Angelica were competing to see who could catch the most in their mouth, while Eliza was plopped down on the floor, laughing as she recorded all of this.

“This is going to make some great blackmail for the future,” Maria could make out Eliza’s teasing words, much to her sister’s protests.

“Hey!” Peggy retorted, hands on her hips as she faced the middle Schuyler, sticking out her tongue, though it was obvious she was having some difficulty holding back a smile.  
For a moment, Maria was surprised. It was such a small activity, that had zero depth involved whatsoever, but they were all amused. Moreover, these were renowned superheroes right before her. Yet here they were, goofing off over some simple thing like any other college students in the world. She supposed that they were off-duty for now, but still. 

All the girls in the room burst into a fit of giggles as a grape hit Peggy square in the eye when she was facing Eliza, and Maria couldn’t contain her own amusement, letting out a short laugh. Shit. She sucked in a breath, clamping a hand over her mouth. She’d really rather not be discovered, and although her life didn’t depend on staying hidden like it did in so many missions, it really felt like it did.

Too late, she realized, as the quartet stopped and glanced in the direction of the doorway, eyes expectant. 

“Hello? Anyone there?” Eliza called, looking around the doorway both curiously and apprehensively. 

There was a slight grumble from Angelica, “It better not be one of the boys.” This earned her a gentle smack- from whom, Maria couldn’t tell.

Sucking in a deep breath, figuring she didn’t have anything to lose here, Maria stepped forward into the hangout room, blinking as the girls’ eyes widened in slight surprise. “Hi.”

“Hi, Maria,” Peggy greeted, the least dubious out of all the girls. “Whatcha up to? We were just-”

“I’m so sorry for interrupting,” Maria cut in nervously, and this got much more of a reaction. All the people in the room had ever seen of her was either on the battlefield or during the interrogation, where she seemed to have been a completely different person then as compared to now- poised, ferocious, impenetrable. 

Before any of the girls could say anything, Maria continued, “I was just walking down the hall since I was released from the interrogation, and I heard laughter and I just wanted to see what was going on since I have no idea anything about this place and-”

“Take a deep breath,” Theodosia cut in with a minorly amused smile, tilting her head slightly. “We don’t bite. Come and join us?”

With a small nod, Maria closed her mouth and came to a cherry-red beanbag, sitting down in between Theo and Angie. “Thank you.”

“Of course. We wouldn’t want you to feel like we were ignoring you for any reason.” Eliza’s smile from across the newly-formed circle was gentle, as if Maria was a starry-eyed puppy who they had just taken in. Maria was torn between that, she was comforted, yet she didn’t want to show any signs of weakness or uselessness. But that’s what you’re supposed to do. Get close to them, then exploit them… right? 

“So,” Theodosia said, shifting forward in her bean bag, “That was a pretty impressive fight you put up earlier, even if we didn’t get to see all of it-”

“-and I didn’t get to see any of it,” Peggy muttered under her breath, which earned a look from Angelica.

“As Theo was saying,” Angelica continued, “We were all pretty impressed. I mean, it’s not every day we catch two prodigies on the streets, especially in the same day.”

Maria nodded, trying to ease herself into the conversation. For some reason, it seemed a little stiff, and she got the impression that the other four girls were still trying to figure out what to make of her. She couldn’t really blame them, considering she’d evaded questioning and remained a mystery like no one else they’d yet encountered.

“Yeah,” she said nevertheless, thinking to what Angelica said. “I briefly heard the name of the other person who was new… Adolfo? Albert? Oh, Alexander, right?”

Eliza nodded with a smile, and Maria raised her eyebrows. The gentle middle-sister did indeed smile quite often, but this one seemed different. “Yeah, Alex. He’s from… somewhere, no one really knows yet. But yes, Peggy found him on the streets earlier, after he almost blew up the city.”

“That I did!” Peggy looked proud of herself. “Trust me, dragging him back here was not an easy task. Luckily he complied, and I even tricked him into letting me blindfold and handcuff him. We don’t really have to do that,” she winked.

“Mhm. We’re not kidnappers, so we don’t really like to use blindfolds or whatever. You only see that in movies,” Angelica added before Maria had the chance to say anything. She then tipped her head, peering more curiously at Maria. “Would you… mind telling us what your powers are? Maybe give a little demonstration?”

Maria hesitated for a moment. Would she be allowed to do this? Surely, she wasn’t in the limelight enough with the Loyalists for the Revolutionaries to catch wind of her, but you never knew. 

The corners of Theo’s mouth upturned in a small smile, seeming to catch onto some of Maria’s trepidation. “Don’t worry. This isn’t like a second interrogation or anything. I’m off duty, after all.”

“No, I didn’t think so,” Maria chuckled. “Alright. Under the condition that you four show me your powers first, and whatever you have to say about them.”

All four girls looked at each other and shrugged, figuring that they had nothing to lose. Maria, however, was still conflicted, caught between her duty and her heart, knowing that every moment she spent with them was more information she could hand over to the Loyalists. The better the chance they had to win the war.

Still, these were genuinely good girls in front of her, and it would crush her to see the expressions on their faces if they found out she was sent to betray them. She hadn’t known them for long- heck, she still didn’t even know their last names or anything about them- but it didn’t take much to make her feel guilty.

“I don’t have powers,” Peggy said with a shrug. “Yet, at least. See, the thing is, Eliza is the only biological child of our parents, so we knew from the very start that she would likely be a prodigy, considering both of our parents have abilities. I don’t really know or care who my biological parents are, so I might never get them.”

“That’s okay, Pegster,” Eliza tilted her head to her younger sister. “The Revolutionaries love you and need you all the same. But um, yeah, my abilities are pyrokinesis and healing. I wasn’t in a freak accident or anything, so I was born with them. They manifested at the same time, which was super useful, considering how I found out.”

“That’s true,” Angelica agreed with raised eyebrows. “Considering you burned our rabbit.”

“Oh hush,” Eliza waved at her sister. “I healed him afterward.” She turned back to Maria. “We had a little bunny when we were younger. I was holding him outside in the snow, since I’d gone for a walk and wandered off- don’t ask why- and I was cold, so I tried to heat up. It worked, and a little too well at that. I ended up burning the poor little guy, and I freaked, petting him desperately. Apparently, the healing kicked in, and he was as good as new, without a single singe in his fur.”

“Quite heroic,” Theodosia said with a small smile. “Even though this isn’t my first time hearing that, I still find it super cute every time.”

Maria couldn’t help but smile. “A little unconventional, but really cute indeed. Okay Angelica, go.”

Angelica cracked her knuckles, getting comfortable to tell her tidbit of an origin story. “I was born with wings, so flight was a given. I think that might’ve been why I was put up for adoption, but I’ve only ever known my adopted parents, so like Peggy, I don’t care.”

“Wait, I wasn’t around, so I don’t know this, and I’d never thought to ask. Were you born with your power beams, Angie?” Peggy asked, propping herself up off her elbows. 

Angelica shook her head, “Naw. They came when I was super young, though. I was keen to flying around, much to our parents’ undying delight, and I ended up eating a lightbulb. And for some reason, after that, I was able to use power beams. Why? I don’t know. How did I eat a lightbulb? I don’t know. Why did I not die? Probably because prodigies are hardwired differently.”

“So you got your power beams from eating a lightbulb?” Theodosia grinned. “I don’t know whose manifestation is more interesting, anymore.”

Maria snorted, “Yeah. But wait, isn’t there like a… Sunbeam person or something, who has light and thermal powers? That seems like something you’d get from eating a lightbulb.”

“John was born with his powers, I’m ninety percent sure,” Eliza said. “But yeah, that does make a lot more sense.”

“Fair enough,” Maria considered this. She watched as Angelica’s wings curled around her, studying them. The girl seemed so confident with them, and so very in control. They were quite large and feathered, so Maria figured she must’ve had a lot of practice to deal with them properly. Her main advantage was certainly her ability in aerial domain.

“Alright,” she said after a moment longer of admiring the regal, bird-like wings. “Theo, origin story, go.”

“Mine’s not really exciting or anything,” Theodosia said, comfortably cross-legged from where she sat on the plush rug. “Both of my parents were prodigies, I’m pretty sure, so the chances of me being the same were very high. I was born with my telepathy, for sure. I used it for a lot of little kid stuff, like negotiating, blackmail, and finding wherever my mom hid the cookies.”

“Right, because blackmail is definitely something a little kid would do,” Peggy said with raised eyebrows.

“Well, I can definitely see that happening. Do you have a second ability? A lot of you people do, I noticed,” Maria observed. 

It wasn’t a moment later that she realized Theo and the bean bag she was perched on were levitating a couple of feet off the ground, which answered her question. Theo looked down in momentary surprise, before she was set down again.

“Yeah, telekinesis. It’s definitely super unpracticed, since I tend to hit myself a lot with objects. I think I could have been born with it, but it didn’t come out until far later. There was this one guy who was being a thot near where I lived, and I decided it would be convenient if whatever he was holding his hand with fly up and whack him in his head. And that’s exactly what happened, but I didn’t think anything of it... I actually didn’t know I could do that until a couple of years ago, when I was training and Charles did something foolish, so a glass of sweet tea came off the table and dumped itself on his head. Then I put two and two together.”

“I remember Charles after that,” Eliza thought back fondly. “He stomped out, soaking wet.”

“And it was my glass of tea,” Angelica added with a sigh. “So beautifully brewed, with just the right amount of sugar.”

Maria rolled her eyes good-naturedly at Angelica’s comment, “I’m sure you’ll have another chance to have your tea.”

“Alright, Maria, your turn now,” Peggy pointed out, and everyone else curiously looked at her. 

Maria didn’t know how she felt about all their eyes on her, or about what her superiors might say when they found out she’d revealed her powers to the enemy, but she took a deep breath and opened her mouth anyway. “It’s nothing super flashy, but it’s kind of useful. I’m an excellent matchmaker with a built-in gaydar. And a mind shield. But the biggest thing is that I can seduce anyone with an attraction to the female gender, and have them do virtually anything, within reason.”

Four pairs of eyes blinked, assessing her as if they were seeing Maria anew, trying to figure out what to make of her ability. Maria was expecting this reaction, considering that once people found out, it tended to give her the aura of scandalism. At least that’s what James liked to say to her, consistently reminding her to stay in line and never seduce anyone in front of him.

Hypocrite.

Swallowing the bile taste that rose in her throat, Maria pushed those thoughts away. She was surprised that something like those images would pop up in her mind, especially in front of these girls. “So, I’m taking it a demonstration is out of the question?”

“No, of course not,” Eliza shook her head. “We’d love to see how your ability works.”

“Agreed. Maybe we were a little shocked for a moment, but your ability isn’t bad or anything, so don’t worry. It’s not like you’re going to blow our heads off,” Theodosia added on.

“Alright then. I guess I’ll build it up some, if you guys don’t mind” Maria sat up straighter, scanning everyone in the room. “Let’s see...I take it that you all know each other’s orientational interests, no?”

When all of them nodded their heads, Maria seemed satisfied. “Good. I’d hate to drag anyone out of the closet. So, raise your hand if you’re hetero or asexual.”

Both Eliza and Theodosia raised their hands.

“Good. So, that leaves you two,” Maria’s gaze shifted over to Angelica and Peggy. “I’d really rather not do this to anyone unwillingly, so would either of you mind?’

Both Angelica and Peggy glanced at each other, as if having a silent conversation, before looking back over to Maria. “I’ll do it,” Peggy said after a moment. “I don’t think you’re going to do anything too extra, so why not.”

Maria snickered, “No, don’t worry. I won’t do anything terrible, I promise.” After she spoke those words, she looked Peggy straight in the eye, feeling the youngest Schuyler sister give herself over to her. 

She almost felt bad about this, considering how easy it was to leech into Peggy’s mind. Maria was no mind reader, and she couldn’t interpret all emotions, but her analysis on love and relationships were always spot on. She realized Peggy viewed herself as the most useless Schuyler, even though nobody outside of this room had ever likely figured that, so that made it all the more convenient. She wanted attention, she desired it, she craved it.

The effects were almost immediate- Maria could see Peggy’s pupils enlarge, her breathing quicken, and her face flush. She could practically hear the girl’s pulse rushing through her veins, and it was increasing steadily. 

All the girls watched as Peggy stood up from her beanbag, seemingly in some sort of mildly awestruck trance. Maria just let The youngest Schuyler operate on instinct for now instead of telling her to do something- she was just as curious as the others to see what she’d do. 

Peggy still looked like Peggy, and acted like herself as well, which was the interesting thing. Maria’s powers were discreet- the person she allured would act the same around other people, but they looked at her like she was their long-lost love of their life, as if they missed her, and couldn’t wait to be together again. 

The people things do for love. Maria came to realize that love truly is blind, but she realized that a little too late to save herself. 

All eyes were still on Peggy, but Peggy only had eyes for Maria. The two stared- no, gazed- at each other, before the youngest Schuyler leaned forward in a sudden, heartfelt impulse, crashing her lips into Maria’s.

Maria was absolutely shell-shocked for a heartbeat, not expecting this situation to turn in this direction so quickly, but she let herself indulge in the moment, as fleeting and brief as it would likely be. Maria had kissed before, many, many times, but she didn’t think it’d ever felt like this before.

Maria closed her eyes, savoring it a second longer, before all of a sudden, her breath hitched and she backed off. A sudden thought had struck her- she was forced to remind herself that she had a boyfriend, and that was something completely unavoidable. Maria felt suddenly dirty and unfaithful, quickly relinquishing her control over Peggy.

Peggy’s eyes cleared of the lovestruck expression she had worn a second ago, and her cheeks reddened profusely as she came to an understanding of what had happened. She mumbled something incoherent, a blush still on her face as she scooted backwards onto her bean bag from before.

A moment of silence befell across the room, and Maria hesitatingly glanced from each of the other girls, trying to gauge their reactions. Eliza was almost concerned, rather puzzled, and seemed to have averted her gaze during the scene, her eyes slightly red. Angelica stared hard- not necessarily hostile, but it was obvious that she was grappling on what to think of the situation. Theodosia was just flat out curious, watching Maria thoughtfully.

“Well,” Peggy spoke up after a moment, and all eyes snapped to her. “That wasn’t… so bad,” she said, trying for a small smile.

No one said anything again after that, but the mood had shifted slightly after Peggy spoke up. Maria’s heart felt like it could burst out of her chest right then and there, and she was almost surprised no one else could hear her erratic heartbeat.

Maria cleared her throat, glancing at the wall as if she couldn’t bear to maintain eye contact with anyone at the moment. “So… tell me… what are some of the best restaurants in New York?”

~*~


	10. N I N E

“I can’t _believe_ it! Charles is such a… such a… dammit, I can’t find a good word to describe him.”

“Say no more,” Hercules held up a hand as Alex came storming in one of the lounge rooms the Revolutionaries had. “We get it. Come, sit and rant to us about your troubles with the infamous council member.”

Alex gratefully plopped down in the seat across from them, a groan escaping his lips as he dragged a tired hand down his face.

“And we have snacks,” Lafayette added in, showing Alex a variety of chips. “Barbeque or salt and vinegar?”

Alex took the salt and vinegar bag, nodding his thanks. “Well, I can finally see why nobody likes Charles around here. If he ran as much as his mouth did, then _damn,_ he’d be in great shape.”

Both superheroes let out a laugh at that. “You’re not wrong, Alex,” Hercules agreed. “But what exactly happened? Wasn’t he supposed to give you a tour of the city or something?’

“Supposed to, yeah. But he mostly just ended up pointing at random things without explaining what they were, and littering everywhere,” Alex rolled his eyes at the memory. “Not to mention being the racist prick he was.”

If nothing before had caught Lafayette and Hercules’ attention, this certainly did. “Did he talk about how immigrants were the worst and that refugees were taking everything from Americans?” Lafayette inquired with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes!” Alex threw up his hands in the air. “You guys went through that too?”

Hercules rolled his eyes, “Oh, you bet. When Laf and I transferred from the UK superhero agency after it got attacked, he would stay on our cases _forever,_ thinking we were some spies or whatever just because we weren’t from here.”

“Why am I not surprised? But seriously, how is he a part of the Revos, or even the council? That I can’t understand! Surely there’s something that would prompt Washington to have trust in him,” Alex pressed.

“Probably because he was here longer than pretty much any of us. He’s a bit older, and more “experienced”, although he’s made some dumb decisions,” Lafayette mused. “He was part of the older wave of supers when the Loyalists first struck, I guess.”

“And somehow that gives him right to be a part of the decision making process or something. But besides the xenophobia, he’s just flat out rude,” Hercules added in.

Alex pinched the bridge of his nose, recalling the failed tour of the city from earlier. “Tell me about it. Look, I don’t have _that much_ of anything against someone who smokes… but someone who does it obnoxiously, and then litters the cigars all over homeless people is just a big no-no.”

Both Laf and Herc let out a murmur of agreement, and Alex leaned forward, “So I have a question. What are Charles’ powers? Apparently he’s a decent fighter, or so I hear.”

“This is true,” Lafayette sighed softly. “Although Charles is a _bitch,_ he is very good in the… how you say? Punching? Hand-to-hand combat? Very skilled. His power is to make replications of himself, all fully sentient and possessing the same skills as he.”

“Wow, the famed Frenchman with impeccable manners swore like a true American.” Hercules snorted, before grimacing slightly, “Kind of like a smaller scale version of the Loyalists and their foot soldiers. Except Charles is actually _somewhat_ intelligent, which can make it all the worse if he ever decided to rebel.”

“I could see why that would be a concern,” Alexander murmured quietly, nodding. “And yeah… there was a fight with a lot of foot soldiers, right? That’s what happened earlier?’

“Yes. The high-ranking Loyalists rarely show themselves, and if they do, you know it means business. And the _King._ I don’t think anyone here has ever really seen him, albeit Washington might have had an encounter way back in the day,” Lafayette said. “But if he has, he’s never talked about it. None of us knows what his powers are, or even if he has them.”

“Interesting,” Alex narrowed his eyes slightly. “This is an interesting conversational train of topics, starting from bashing Charles to this. But the more information, the better, I suppose. If you guys couldn’t tell, I’m really new to this, so what can I expect? How can I get better at my powers?”

“Well, you may not be fighting in the field for a while yet,” Hercules foretold. “You haven’t known of your powers for more than 48 hours, right? But don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it soon. For now, just except a lot of training, from a lot of different people. Someone like Eliza might help you out a lot, since both of your abilities can be unpredictable. Not sure if you met her yet.”

“Eliza?” Alex liked the sound of that. Having the sweet, middle Schuyler sister be one of his main trainers would most definitely be something to look forward to. “And oh yes, I met her earlier on in the infirmary. I thought her powers were healing though?”

“Oui, alongside pyrokinesis. A good handful of those in the superhero industry have dual abilities, Eliza included,” Lafayette explained.

“Oh, cool. That seems to make sense,” Alex processed this. “And… another question. This one seems kind of dumb… but do you guys have superhero suits?”

At the mention of a superhero suit, Hercules clapped his hands profoundly, catching Alex slightly off guard. “Indeed we do!” He exclaimed, his voice rising in tone gleefully.

“You see, Herc here designs the suits for everyone. And he’s quite good at it, I have to say,” Lafayette explained, and Alex mouthed a silent “oh’.

Hercules rubbed his hands together. “Sometimes we don’t wear them, like if we’re away from base or caught by surprise, but yes, we do have them, and wear them when we can. Helps with identity and stuff, and it’s nice to save the world in _style.”_

“Cool. I could see how you might have uniforms… but are all the suits different? Like personalized for everyone?” Alex inquired, curious.

“They are, and for convenience, they have to be. The fabric I have for my suit makes teleportation a little more effortless and seamless,” Lafayette said. “And for people like Eliza, Burr, and Angelica, their suits have to be more durable against the elements.”

“Fascinating,” Alex remarked, before glancing over at Hercules again. “Uh… would you mind-”

“Say no more!” Hercules said for the second time, a sparkle in his eye. “I would be _honored_ to make you a super suit. Now tell me, what’s your favorite color?”

 

 

|-

 

 

“Are you sure you have everything? Boarding pass, clothing, snacks for the airplane...” Aaron pressed, looking Theodosia up and down. “You’re having to leave so quickly for this, could you possibly have it all?”

It was a little later in the day, and Theodosia’s flight for London had been scheduled with haste. They had assumed all the flights had been full for the next couple of days, but Washington ended up pulling a few strings to get a booked seat.

Theodosia glanced at Aaron fondly from the corner of her eye, shaking her head. “Yes, and even if I forget something, England is probably more civilized than America. I’ll get something there. But don’t worry, everything is going smoothly. I even got a window seat and everything.”

“Talk less, smile more,” Lafayette piped up from the background, standing off with Angelica, whose wings were hidden with a strategically placed hoodie and backpack. It had originally been only Aaron who was going to drop Theodosia off at the airport, but the two had tagged along. “Isn’t that your motto?”

Aaron hid his amusement well, looking back. “Why exactly did you decide to come with us again?”

“Because dearest Hercules is enamored with the fact that he gets to design Alex a super suit, and who knows how long he’ll be involved in that,” Lafayette quipped. “And John’s doing physical therapy or something.”

Aaron snorted softly. “That certainly seems like Hercules. He’s definitely got a gift for churning out super suit designs. And I couldn’t be more glad that John is up and moving again.”

The others nodded their agreement, Theodosia checking her watch for the umpteenth time before a bored voice crackled to life over the airport intercom, announcing that her flight would be leaving in ten minutes. Aaron’s face fell a little as he listened, any trace of his previous mild amusement gone.

“We’ll leave you two alone,” Angelica murmured, sympathy in her eyes as she hugged Theodosia goodbye before pushing a protesting Lafayette down the marbled white hallway (Lafayette muttering all the while about not getting to see them kiss goodbye).

Theodosia couldn’t help but laugh softly despite the situation- it suddenly seemed so ridiculously cheesy, it was almost surreal. Pushing the absurdity aside in her mind for now, she turned to Aaron, taking his hand in hers. “I… I wish I didn’t have to go… probably just as much as you wish I could stay,” she murmured, a small but bittersweet smile on her face that Aaron’s reflected. “You know I’ve always been horrible at saying goodbye.”

“Don’t worry, so am I,” Aaron chuckled softly, pulling her into his arms, his hand in her hair. Normally, they would never dare to even get this close to each other in public, but desperate times called for desperate measures- but this matter was most definitely one of desperation, no matter how subdued. “I’m going to miss you a lot.”

“I’ll miss you too,” Theodosia sighed, looking up at him, her head resting on his chest. To them, it was as if they were the only ones there, in that white airport corridor. Perhaps it was because everything had suddenly gone silent.

Theodosia picked up her head, glancing around, eyebrow raised, at the people, suitcases, and electronic boarding times displayed on a screen quite literally _frozen_ in place- or rather, time. She turned back to Aaron, who had a small smile on his face. “Really?” She asked, amusement evident in her eyes.

“Really,” Aaron answered, leaning down gently until their lips met in a soft but sweet kiss.

Theodosia couldn’t remember ever feeling such a blend of both utter content and the roiling thought that this could very well be the last time she ever saw Aaron, touched him, _kissed_ him if this mission went awry.

Pushing the unwelcome thought away for now, she looped her arms around his neck, her lips moving gently against his... until she heard life resume around them, as people chattered away on cell phones, suitcases rolled onward to their destinations on every corner of the globe, and the clocks resumed ticking as Aaron’s powers wore off. Life went on. She knew she had to as well. “See you in a few months.” _Hopefully_. The word hung in the air between them, like some grotesque puppet dangling on a string, taunting them with its very real possibility. "I love you."

It was all Aaron could do to smile back, holding back the tears in his eyes. “I love you, too.” They embraced one last time, and then Theodosia was walking away from him, as time _tick, tick, tick_ ed steadily on, and as he waved farewell.

 

 

|-

 

 

Maria frowned slightly as she tapped her fingers against her leg, glancing around. She had found a spare moment to leave the headquarters- saying she wanted to run down to a bakery only a block over from the headquarters. Considering there was nothing to hold against or convict her, she was virtually free to go, however it was insisted that she wear a tracker.

It was clear that the tracker they had given her was mostly used for missions, instead of pinpointing adversaries. The tracker was just a bracelet, so Maria made sure to bury it under a flower pot on the corner of the bakery she was supposed to be at.

She had to admit, this was all super extra, but the more precautions the better. She couldn’t risk any margin of being discovered by the Revolutionaries during what she was about to do, or who she was about to talk with.

So right now, she was sitting on a bench in Central Park, a place where there was little to be suspicious of at the moment, yet still safe. She nervously kept glancing at her phone every few seconds, waiting for the call that was surely inevitable at this point in time.

She was right, considering that not even much of a moment later, her phone rang, displaying a caller idea that read “James Reynolds” with a heart afterwards. She wasn’t sure why she didn’t make his contact name one of those cute and sappy pet names that a lot of people used, but she just didn’t _feel_ it, even after almost two years of dating.

Knowing she was becoming off-track with her thoughts, Maria took a deep breath and put the phone to her ear, answering it with a “Hey, babe.”

“Maria!” James purred over the cell phone, his voice sickly sweet as he addressed her. “How are you doing with the mission?”

“The mission’s going fine. My, uh, my mind shield worked well. I was interrogated, and they might’ve been a little suspicious but they couldn’t convict me with anything,” Maria told him, leaning back against the bench she was sitting on.

“So did you find out anything vital about the Revolutionaries yet? Any valuable information?” There was the question that Maria had been dreading.

She hesitated for a moment- what could she say? What _should_ she say? What she already knew what quite the amount, enough to definitely make a dent in the Revo’s operation.

She thought of Alex, with newly found abilities, not even an official member of the Revolutionaries yet. The Loyalists would see him as easily exploitable, and do everything they could to gain control over Alexander and his raw ability.

She thought of the Schuylers, or their iconic trio name, the Skylarks. Maria could easily expose their real full names, and that Peggy didn’t have an ability. The Loyalists would undoubtedly view her as the weak link in such a strong sisterhood, and try and target her, killing three birds with one stone. The thought made Maria sick.

She thought of Theodosia, with her mission being an almost mirror reflection of her own. That one was hard- Maria couldn’t risk being exposed. Yet at the same time, she knew the Loyalists would undoubtedly have Theodosia killed if she elected to tell.

She thought of John, who might take parts in future fights, would definitely remain weak and a prime target for a while yet.

And of course, the powerless struggles of George Washington.

“No, nothing yet. I’m still being kept under direct watch, and I could barely sneak away to the bathroom for this phone call,” she said, the lie heavily resting on her tongue. “They won’t even tell me their names.”

She held her breath for a moment, hoping that her hesitation wasn’t obvious.

“Hmm, alright,” James spoke after a moment, and Maria felt a wave of relief. “But as soon as you hear anything, get a hold of me, alright? I’d hate for you to get too attached and then betray us.”

Maria frowned at his slightly passive aggressive statement, nodding. She then realized that he wouldn’t be able to see her nod. “Yeah, alright, you have my word.”

James hummed in satisfaction, and Maria could almost picture a smirk written across his features. “I’m pleased to hear that. You didn’t end up securing anyone, did you? I’d hate to have to share your heart, considering you’re my entire world.”

 _Peggy._ Maria shoved down another oncoming wave of guilt and trepidation, biting her lip. “No, of course not. I told you I wouldn’t unless absolutely necessary, and that’s that.”

“Right,” Again James spoke, his tone more rough than what Maria was comfortable with.  He then continued on, “Well, I miss you to the moon and back. My arms feel empty every night that you’re not here by my side.”

There it was, the mood seeming to change with some lovey-dovey expression James always had after a moment of tension, pulling her backwards into his suffocation affection. Today was one of James’ more civil days,  he didn’t nearly seem as unpredictable or as finicky as he normally was, yet there was still always something offsetting about his shifts in mood.

Maria inhaled slowly, “I miss you too. A lot, and genuinely. Hopefully we shouldn’t be seperated for much longer than a few months,” she let out a plosive exhale. “I love you.”

“Love you too, dearie,” James said. “Now, i’d hate for you to get exposed and have the mission fail, so I’ll leave you be for now. I’ll call you soon to check in every once and awhile. Remember, no seducing.”

“Of course,” Maria smiled bitterly. “Goodbye, tell everyone else I said hello.”

After those words, she promptly hung up, not wanting to waste another moment on the phone. She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking back on the conversation as she hastily jammed her phone into her pocket. James was _fine,_ right? He said he missed her. He said he loved her. Shouldn’t that be fulfilling?

But for some reason, it wasn’t. James seemed like the perfect, doting boyfriend, always the first to apologize after fights (ones that he started), and always there to defend her (because to him she was the everlasting damsel in distress). However, he was too possessive for her liking. He’d snatched her heart within days of meeting him, and his grip on it was all too tight.

Maria nibbled her lip in thought, rethinking over her kiss with Peggy. She had kissed many, many times before, with many, many people, but it had never been like that. Yes, maybe Peggy was under seduction, and it wasn’t quite honest, Maria felt something buried within her. And with her ability being centered around love, she felt the thought was supported.

It was too early to tell anything, however, and Maria knew it. She’d only had one interaction with the youngest Schuyler for goodness sakes- _god she hated how she always fell for someone so quickly and how it was always so rushed-_ but Maria couldn’t help it. Internally, she knew that she was likely yearning for any way out of her relationship with James, so now that this had arisen, she was trying to jump right into it.

Even if she knew it wasn’t the right thing to do, truly.

James said everything right. Did everything fine. Physically loved her properly.

So why wasn’t it _enough?_

 

_~*~_


End file.
